


The Alpha That Was Actually An Omega

by AnimeGoddessOnPoint



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, I just suck at tagging so please forgive me, I swear, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omegaverse, Some omega on omega action, Surprise Pairing, This isn't straight porn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-07-26 17:07:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7582627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeGoddessOnPoint/pseuds/AnimeGoddessOnPoint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haizaki Shougo was most definitely an Alpha. From the way he carried himself and bullied others into submission, everything about him screamed that he truly belonged to the dynamic. No one could question it, it was simply fact, so you can imagine the shock and turmoil when the acclaimed Alpha turned out to be the exact opposite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fateful Punch To The Face

**Author's Note:**

> I have been in absolute rare-ship hell after that episode where Aomine punched Haizaki in the face. This is probably the rarest of ships because damn I could not find any fan-art and there was only one fanfiction*sigh*

Haizaki paced at the front of the gym, ignoring those exiting as his anger grew second by second. Truly the male should be on his way home as he felt his scent blockers slowly but surely slipping away as his angered pheromones lashed at the barricade, but he just couldn’t let it go. He just couldn’t stand it. Being bested by an alpha always managed to send him into a rage. No one knew of his dynamic as he used scent blockers and had his alpha brother scent all his clothing for him so he could pass his brother’s scent as his own, but he still felt as if they were all looking down on him; like they instinctively knew somehow. Either way, Shougo would still go against his dynamic and push all his team’s alphas around like he was the head. He was just as strong, if not stronger than any alpha and he sought to prove that every chance he got. He hated being an omega and he hated the stigma that weakness was coupled with the dynamic. Since he couldn’t change his dynamic no matter how hard he tried, he instead decided to change the stigma and he’d do it by forcing any alphas who saw him as lesser into submission. 

The dark-haired teen lifted his nose to the air, trying to pick out Kise’s from the mess of scents flowing in and out of the gym but he couldn’t pick up any individual scents within the cocktail. Whatever. He’d be able to pick the alpha out from any crowd easily by way of his ridiculous blonde hair. Eyes glued to the gym doors, the omega paced again; his pheromones again straining against their cage with more and more ferocity as his anger grew. He was really straining his scent blockers at this point. If he didn’t stop soon, then there’d be cracks in the blockade and if he continued to push then his defenses would fall away altogether. Still, Shougo couldn’t pull himself away. He couldn’t walk away, not after being defeated by Kise not once, but twice. The blonde had taken his position on their old team and Haizaki worked his ass off all these years so he could show him that just because Ryouta had taken his spot as small-forward in the end he was still as good or even better than him, but he’d lost. He’d lost and was mocked for his failure to best the blonde alpha. Just salt in the wounds. Shougo growled deeply as he found himself becoming even more impossibly angry at the words replaying in his head.

‘Shougo-kun, you said earlier...Something like “I thought I’d grab the seat of the Generation of Miracles”? How are you feeling now?’

Clenching his teeth at the words coming back to mock him for a second time around, Haizaki watched the gym doors with even more ferocity. The danger looming in his eyes was beginning to become noticed and people of all dynamics began giving him wide berth, eyeing him nervously as they passed and praying to whatever gods they could think of that the male wasn’t after them. One of them though, didn’t avoid him. Instead the tall figure walked straight up to the fuming omega.

“If you’re looking for the Kaijo guys, then they won’t be out yet.”, a deep timber voice said behind Haizaki, his scent sending out signals for the omega to submit; the pheromones a little too strong for his nose and making him a little too hazy as they weren’t meant to subdue an omega, but an alpha instead. “If you’re thinking about seeking revenge on Kise, forget it.”

 

“Daiki…”, Shougo said as he turned around, his eyes showing his surprise at seeing another one of his former teammates.

Fuck, his pheromones were as fucking strong as ever. He wasn’t even throwing out that much of it, but still the omega felt like he was completely drowning in it. Despite himself, the dark-haired teen felt his omegan instincts flare at him. They told him to avert his eyes, move his head to the side, and make himself seem smaller but of course Haizaki refused to do so. 

‘I’m okay. I’m strong enough to handle this. I’m okay.’, the small-forward repeated in his head like a mantra while he drew strength from his only steadying factor; his brother’s calming scent. 

“I’ll let you go if you keep quiet and turn back now.”, was aomine’s only response, his dominating pheromones rising a bit in order to intimidate the shorter; trying to leave no space to argue.

The condescending tone in the alpha’s voice made Haizaki’s anger burn bright again, overriding his slight panic. Who the fuck did this bastard think he was thinking he could boss him around? He wasn’t his damn subordinate and he could do whatever the fuck he liked. 

“Like I care, moron?”, Shougo smirked, his grey eyes molten fire. “I can do whatever the hell I want.”

At the rising challenge in the omega’s voice, Daiki squared his shoulders; bringing himself to full height as his calm demeanor soon switched to one of boiling rage. He wasn’t used to being challenged and when he was, he crushed whoever was attempting to do so.

“If it’s basketball, nobody’ll complain whatever you do.”, the alpha began. “But don’t use some other stupid tactic to disrupt their battle.”

Seriously? Who the fuck was this guy? His damn father? Aomine was talking down to him like he was a damn pup and he wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than being talked to like he was a weak ass omega.

“That makes me laugh. Were you always this much of a goody-goody?”, the omega said, egging on the alpha even more despite the fact that his instincts were yelling at him to back down.

The power forward sighed heavily, his patience wearing thin. He really didn’t want to have to deal with this today. Where the hell was Akashi when you needed him.

“You simply lost against Kise, Haizaki. You realize how much he and Tetsu have been training ‘til now?”, Aomine said, trying to reason with the ‘alpha’ in front of him. “Don’t do anything else stupid.”

A small growl pushed past Shougo’s throat, his rage nearly boiling over. He needed a release and at this point, he wouldn’t mind using Daiki as an outlet.

“I see...That’s all the more reason to crush them down.”, Haizaki smirked as he felt the alpha’s pheromones grow ever stronger. “I told ya I didn’t care, right? Unfortunately for you, I don’t give a rat’s ass about basketball, unlike you guys.”

That was a load of shit, but Shougo wasn’t going to admit that he actually did care and was angered by the fact that even though he’d worked his ass off, he got nothing out of it.

“If you want me to stop…”, the omega said, getting ready to pounce. “You gotta stop me by force!”

“Then I’ll go ahead and do that.”, the taller said in response.

Without another thought, Haizaki charged the alpha; the taller male looking down on him the entire time as if this was child’s play. He even saw Daiki’s eye twitch as if he was more annoyed by anything else. The small action rose up more anger in the omega and it was so strong that the pheromones filling the air as thick as smoke wasn’t enough to get him to stop. That was fine though. Aomine was completely confident that he could fall the other easily. And he did. Just as the shorter male got close enough to throw a punch, he completely blindsided the shorter with a left-hook; the omega falling to the side immediately. Shougo was left on the floor, completely dazed. His consciousness was going in and out and it was then that the omega in him decided to take things into it’s own hands. The fear and panic that the dark-haired teen had tried desperately to hold down, rose to the surface, mixing with the cocktail of other emotions at the blockade. It was too much, too fast and in that moment his scent blockers cracked and broke away; leaving him bare save his brother’s alpha scent. The scent of a highly distressed omega filled the air, but the shorter was too absolutely gone to even so much as attempt to hold it back. He was finally crumbling under Daiki’s pheromones and it was sending him into a complete panic attack.

It took a few moments for the strong scent to reach Aomine as he was walking away already but when it did, his anger fell away immediately and he looked around frantically for the distressed omega; his instincts to find and protect stronger than anything else at the moment. He looked and looked, turning circles where he stood but he couldn’t see anyone else out here save for him and Haizaki. Everyone else had quickly fled as soon as it looked as though the two ‘alpha’ were going to fight whatever disagreement they were having. No one wanted to get in the middle of something like that, so they turned away and took the back entrance out or ran passed quickly.

“Where the hell…”, Daiki muttered to himself, completely confused as he again looked around and saw that, yes, it was just him and the bastard.

The alpha sniffed the air again and could smell that the distressed omega was practically right on top of him. More confusion met up with the rest as he simply decided to follow his nose… right back to where a now gasping Haizaki lay. The omega offered up a low growl at the taller male, but right after he backed down again; baring his neck and gland in an attempt to placate the alpha. Daiki’s angered pheromones had not yet completely left him and it was still heavily affecting the shorter.

“No fucking way…”, Daiki breathed to himself, his eyes widened in absolute shock at the supposed alpha turning out to be the lowest ranking dynamic there was when scentblocker wore off.

Not an alpha, not even a beta, but an omega. An omega! The power forward had no idea what to do at this point. He’d just punched an omega in the face and said omega was sending out some pretty strong distressed signals. Someone was going to come out here and take in the scene and he was going to be known as a damn omega-beater. But he didn’t know though! The bastard covered up his dynamic and he didn’t submit to him like any other omega would! That wouldn’t matter to passersbys though. They’d still accuse him of being the worst alpha in existence. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“Oi! Stop it!”, Daiki hissed at the omega who now shriveling and panicking mess at his feet, his neck exposed and his hands turned upward. 

The tone in his voice did absolutely nothing to help the situation, other than make the omega flinch and make his scent even stronger. At this point, people were beginning to notice and he could hear voices coming from within the gym. Fear paralyzed the alpha for a few moments before he kicked his ass into gear. Immediately, Aomine moved toward the omega, not even offering a croon or any soft words in order to let the other know that he wasn’t going to hurt him. He didn’t realize the mistake until the teen’s eyes flew open and he weakly tried to get away from the alpha who was trying to pick him up by the armpits. 

“F-fuck off!”, the omega said attempting to keep at least some of his dignity even though his scent was giving away his fear. 

“Shush! I’m not going to do anything, I promise, so stop fighting me.”, Aomine said sharply as he forced his scent to become neutral again. If he was calm, then the omega would calm.

At the commanding tone, the shorter went stock-still but his scent didn’t leave him. Carefully, the alpha picked up the small forward with a grunt and held him close so the omega could rest his now pounding head on his shoulder. Now to get rid of that damned scent. Shifting Haizaki into his right arm, the alpha reached his right arm up to scruff the omega. True to his dynamic, the action made the shorter male go limp in Daiki’s grasp, his scent dissipating. To help the process along, Aomine massaged Shougo’s scent glands as others watched the scene from afar. Seeing the position the pair were in, those who’d come to the scene figured that the tall male was the omega’s alpha and had everything under control. 

“What the hell do I do now?”, Aomine asked himself as he continued to massage Haizaki’s scent glands in order to make sure that his scent wouldn’t flare up again. Shougo was practically out of his mind; drunk off the induced high the alpha was working hard to upkeep right now and he couldn’t just waltz inside with a beat up omega. There would be questions and Daiki was too frazzled to come up with a believable excuse as to why he wound up like this. 

 

“Oi. Where do you live?”, The alpha asked the omega in his arms, ceasing his movements on his scent glands so that he could at least focus for a few seconds.

All Aomine got in response to his question was an undecipherable slur of jumbled words, the only thing being somewhat intelligible being something that sounded suspiciously like a weak “fuck you”. The alpha sighed in response and seriously contemplated setting the damn thing back down and walking away, but alas his instincts wouldn't let him do that. He'd probably get about ten steps away before he’d be forced back by his drive to take care of injured omega. Daiki had no choice in this, he had to take the bastard home with him. It just wouldn't feel right to hand Shougo over to some other alpha when it was him who'd injured the omega. Damn… He really shouldn't have stooped down to the asshole’s level. Shifting the shorter male in his arms, Aomine walked towards the train station quickly; trying to exit the scene before someone he knew saw him and what he was carrying.

It was a long walk back to station and a long three hour long ride ahead of him holding the now unconscious omega in his arms. The alpha shifted on his feet the whole time, a nervousness washing over him as others on the train looked at the pair curiously. It probably looked like he kidnapped him or something. Confirming that thought an older alpha on the train had caught notice of him and was eyeing the other alpha with suspicion and looked like he was close to investigating the matter as Daiki broke out in a cold sweat. It was just then that Haizaki shifted, his face accidentally slipping uncomfortably close to the alpha’s neck. Aomine shuddered in disgust when the omega’s nose lightly brushed his sensitive scent gland, but Shougo’s action looked as though he was being affectionate towards him and that made the older alpha’s suspicion slip away. His eyebrows furrowed in discomfort as he felt the teen’s breath on his neck, but the alpha endured it as best he could as he fought the urge to chuck the omega away as far as possible.

When Aomine finally reached his stop, the alpha quickly stepped off the train and towards home before anyone could ask him any questions. His house was only three blocks away so it wouldn't be much longer. The omega’s nose was still pressed to his gland and it made his own nose crinkle up in absolute distaste. Shougo smelt like an omega, yes, but he also smelt like an alpha too. He didn't want that smell to rub off on him at all and especially not into his scent gland. 

“Fucking gross…”, the alpha said as he looked down at the still sleeping omega. “Whoever the fuck’s been scenting your damn jacket obviously went overboard.”

Well… Aomine supposed that Haizaki was trying to pass off as an alpha after all so it wasn't weird to think that he'd smell so strongly of one. But seriously why go through the trouble? It was easier to not fight his dynamic and save himself the constant pain and stress of trying to be something he so painfully wasn't. Or maybe he was an alpha stuck inside and omega body? No omega he knew would ever in a million years act like Shougo did. Never even dream of it. Was he not even raised to fall into his dynamic at all? The alpha’s musings were cut off when he reached the front door to his apartment. How the hell he managed to get up three flights of stairs up to his apartment without remembering he even did so was beyond him, but he didn't linger on that for long as his arms seriously fucking hurt. Haizaki was buff and heavy as hell for an omega. Kuroko was much lighter and shorter than this fucking monster of one. Hell even Sakurai was lighter and he was a pretty damn tall omega. Shifting Haizaki into one arm again, the alpha pulled his house key from his pocket and quickly unlocked the door.

The apartment was a dark and cold as ever. There was no greeting and no dinner set out for him either. He lived here alone so it wasn't a surprise, but it still left the alpha feeling a little hollow sometimes. Closing the door behind him Aomine immediately slipped off his shoes and turned the corner down the hall and walked towards the spare bedroom across the way from his own. When he was at the door, Haizaki finally shifted for the first time in the last two hours with a loud groan. Ignoring the sound, Daiki stepped into the bedroom and finally deposited the heavy load onto the bed carefully. He was planning on throwing him but again, his instincts hindered his decision.

“Wha-where am I?”, Shougo suddenly asked panickedly as if cold water had been thrown onto him; his fingers twisted into the fabric of Aomine’s as his scent practically screamed that he was scared out of his damn mind. Daiki allowed himself to be held where he was as he sent out calming factors in his own scent.

“You're at my apartment in my spare bedroom because ,unfortunately, I couldn't leave your stupid ass on the pavement.”, the alpha responded, making sure to keep his voice void of any anger.

Despite his best efforts, that did nothing to calm the omega. Before the power forward had stopped speaking, the shorter male was already trying to sit up despite his dizziness and move away from Aomine’s presence. The alpha was having none of it though and pushed the small forward back into the sheets as gently as he could manage.

“Don't move idiot.”, Daiki said lazily, tired of this situation already.

Haizaki growled and pushed against the taller male holding him down, his legs kicking out sluggishly. Aomine let out a short growl of his own and took the weak blows to his stomach and shoulders for a few moments, hoping the teen would wear himself out. When his efforts to escape only intensified, the alpha became frustrated.

“Oi. Calm down already.”, Aomine said sharply, only making the omega fight him even more.

“Like hell I'll calm down when you fucking kidnapped me!”, Shougo spat with venom and he wriggled around like a fish on dry land.

“I didn't kidnap you, dumbass! I'm helping you, so knock it off already!”

Daiki’s request was met with more resistance and in that moment, the alpha decided that he’d had enough. Not wasting a moment, the power forward moved his hands from the shorter male’s shoulders and yanked the teen’s head roughly to the side, exposing his scent gland to him. Releasing his dominating pheromones, Aomine dipped down into Haizkai’s neck and bit into the teen’s scent gland lightly. In that moment the omega jerked at the pleasurable pressure on his gland, a short cry pushing past his lips as his arms and legs became completely boneless. 

“Submit.”, the alpha growled deeply as he held the gland gently between his teeth, careful not to break the skin. The whimper falling from the omega’s lips and limp stature in response was a promise of his obedience… For now. 

When Aomine finally let go of the power forward and stepped away, Shougo was finally allowed to fall back into himself. It took a full minute before the teen could even say anything, all the while Daiki was watching in slight intrigue. Something that was usually so hard-headed was easily forced into submission if one knew how to command it.

“Stop doing that.”, Haizaki finally said, his eyes averted to the side.

The alpha quirked a brow in confusion. 

“Stop doing what?”, Daiki asked as he looked down his nose at the omega.

Tired of being belittled, the shorter male let out a warning growl; his silver eyes looking straight up into Daiki’s dark blue ones. 

“Stop using my dynamic against me, asshole.”, Shougo spat. “What's next? Ya gonna croon for me too so I'm nice and compliant?”

Daiki pulled a face at the thought of that. The alpha had never done that for anyone but Satsuki and even that was only a handful of times. He sure as hell wouldn't offer that comfort to Haizaki if he rarely did that for his childhood friend. 

“No.”, the alpha said flatly as he rolled his eyes and turned to walk out the door. “Stay here, I'll be back. And for Christ sake take off that damn jacket. It reeks.”

Not wanting to be forced out of his clothing later on, the omega begrudgingly pulled his jacket off as well as his shoes; throwing them on the floor out of spite so that the alpha would have to pick them up when he got back. Haizaki immediately regretted taking his jacket off as the house was extremely cold, colder to him than Aomine as his omega skin was more susceptible to it. With a long suffering sigh, the teen moved and got under the covers; his head pounding so much that he just wanted to curl up and sleep it off. Still, he couldn’t allow himself to do that. He wasn’t exactly comfortable being in a small apartment with an alpha that knew about his dynamic and was quickly making a habit of using that knowledge to his advantage. Instead, Shougo listened to the alpha talk on the phone in the living room; his calm, timber voice reaching his ears and making him even more sleepy. With a growl, Haizaki forced himself back to full awakeness just as the power forward hung up. Straining his ears, the omega listened to the bigger male’s steps as he walked further away from the room and into the kitchen to open the fridge. He heard some shifting around and then the alpha began walking back. The omega watched silently when the power-forward flicked on the light when he stepped in and walked toward him.

“Here.”, Aomine said gruffly, holding out a water bottle for the shorter male before looking at the floor where Haizaki’s items lay and sighing . 

Shougo glared weakly at the bottle, wary of it even though it was unreasonable to be so. Sensing his apprehension, the alpha rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t poison it in the five seconds it took me to get here, Haizaki. Take it.”

Haizaki took it with a grunt, which could’ve passed as some form of thanks. He was dying of thirst anyways so it wasn’t like he could just refuse. In his haste to kick Kise’s ass; he’d forgotten to drink any water or even take a shower before he left the locker room. Not able to drink the water laying down, the omega sat up but did so too quickly. For his idiocy, the small forward was rewarded with a painful throb in his temple and a swimming head. Daiki sighed as he saw a dazed look cross Shougo’s features as his breathing became heavy. With a gentle push, the alpha simply forced him to lay back down so the other wouldn’t pass out.

“You’re so stupid…”, the bigger said with a look of something akin to pity and disgust as he took a swig from his own water bottle.

When the shorter came back around, he glared at his water bottle and decided to just drink it laying down; even if he was going to get a little bit wet. The omega let out a sound of frustration when the water trickled onto him when he brought the bottle to his mouth, but endured until it was pressed firmly to his lips. Absolutely parched, the small forward sucked down all the water; the bottle emptied completely in about fifteen seconds. Licking his lips to get the water that spilled, the omega placed the empty water bottle on the nightstand beside the bed; throwing to cap on there too.

“Why did you take me back to your house instead of all the other things you could have done instead?”, the shorter male asked finally as he moved his head to look at the alpha now sitting in the desk chair on the other side of the room.

“You were sending out distress signals and alerted probably about half the gym. People were coming so I had to act like I wasn’t the one who punched an omega in the face.”

Haizaki averted his eyes at the thought of him being so weak that he’d unconsciously called for someone to come save him. He didn’t need anyone to protect him, to coddle him. He was fine on his own. Strengthening that resolve, the omega returned back to the present.

“What? Too scared to own up to your crimes, omega-beater?”, Shougo smirked, trying to regain his status as someone who was definitely not an omega.

Daiki blanched, choking on his water at the accusation.

“I didn’t know! You completely masked your dynamic with scent blockers and replaced it with an alpha’s! If I’d’ve known I wouldn’t have fucking hit you and you know it!”

 

Haizaki tsked at that. 

“Nope. You wouldn't've. You would’ve just forced my submission.”

At the sour look on the omega’s face, that burning question that’s been running through his mind all night finally bubbled to the surface; slipping passed the alpha’s lips before he could even think to stop it.

“Why are you hiding your dynamic and trying to be a leader? I thought omegas felt safe and comfortable letting an alpha take the lead instead. Aren’t you guys pretty much lost when there’s no alpha taking control for you?” 

“That’s a complete load of bullshit!”, the omega snapped. “Lies that alphas say to one another to fucking justify bossing omegas around and forcing them to submit, take their damn seed, and stay at home all day watching the kids they didn’t even want. Why the hell would I broadcast my status just so some arrogant alpha like you can force me to fuck and marry them? I’m not a damn pet! I have my own fucking wants outside of serving some asshole alpha.”

 

Smelling extreme vexation on Haizaki, the power forward again sent a calming factor into the air; snipping at the omega’s righteous anger.

“For the love of- stop fucking trying to calm me with your scent! I don’t need you to fucking do it and I don’t want you to fucking do it.”

 

Aomine growled in irritation. What the fuck was up with this omega? He’s just doing what he’s supposed to. When an omega is upset, you calm them. Everyone knows that. It’s not like he’s trying to force him to submit right this second. Hell, even other omegas had calming factors to calm both alphas and their own. Honestly, if the bastard didn’t have his sweet scent; Daiki’d of seriously hurt the omega for being so difficult.

“Then stop screaming. You’re hurting my ears and I don’t want to get a noise complaint.”, Daiki replied, still continuing to do what his instincts told him to. He sensed that things’ll be better off this way. And he was right. Again, true to his nature, the omega calmed back to the sleepy state he had been in before.

“Remind me to never ask you anything ever again.”. The alpha grunted as he walked to the door after hearing the doorbell ring.

Aomine opened the door to find that the pizzas he’d ordered had arrived and quickly pulled out his wallet to pay what was owed. Not bothering with any pleasantries, the alpha slammed the door in the delivery boy’s face after he was passed the food.

 

“Haizaki, are you hungry?”, Daiki yelled to the other male as he set the pizzas on the diningroom table.

In all honesty, the omega was starved but was feeling too tired to eat right now. Plus he was sure that he’d probably have to eat it lying down and didn’t want to get pizza topping all over his face and shirt. Instead, the omega pulled the covers up over himself and then pulled the pillow he wasn’t lying on to his chest.

“No! Do you need a reminder about not asking me about things?”

Aomine rolled his eyes before he dug into his food; not even bothering with grabbing a plate. As he took his first bite of pizza, something occurred to him.

“Call your mom and tell her where you are!”

The omega tsked, but did as he was told. Shougo had to endure his alpha mother’s strict talking to about going places without letting her know for a good twenty minutes before she cracked and began to cry. She was always overly worried about her youngest being gone longer than he'd said he'd be. He was the “baby” afterall. After she got done talking to him, Haizaki’s brother began to chime in. He asked him about fifty questions before he was finally convinced that he was safe and then left it at that. Takashi never pushed him to stop doing what he did like he mother insisted on doing. While his mom wanted him to act more like a proper omega, his brother wanted him to just be himself. With a quick warning to be careful, Takashi hung up before their mother could start talking again. Sighing, the omega set his phone on the nightstand and curled up around the pillow he was holding; exhausted.

When Aomine ate his way through nearly both boxes of pizza, leaving three pieces for Shougo when he woke up tomorrow, the alpha got up and stretched; throwing one of the boxes away and throwing the other with the three pieces of pizza inside of it into the fridge. Daiki then walked away to go through with his nightly routine when he paused. He’d instinctively thought to make sure that Haizaki would be fed when usually it took Momoi yelling at him and spitting out threats from the spare bedroom to leave her at least one piece. The beta would be absolutely irked at the knowledge that Shougo pulled more on his instinctive drive to provide more than she did. It wasn’t his fault that she wasn’t an omega. As the alpha walked passed the room that Shougo was in on the way to the bathroom, he peered in to see that the said omega was peacefully sleeping; curled up in the sheets like a cat. Sure that the trouble-maker wouldn’t be up to any funny business in his absence, ace moved on. 

As Daiki stepped into the shower he found himself completely baffled at the chain of events of this evening. Just one punch and his behavior towards Haizaki completely changed. He still thought he was an asshole and he didn’t like him very much, but he still treated him with the respect he honestly didn’t deserve after the things he’d done. Like Aomine’d figured before, his omega scent was tugging on his instincts and making him treat the other gently like he would any other omega. When the small-forward acted out, instead of fighting him like he would another alpha, he instead put him back in his place or calmed him and all without hurting him. God he felt like he was watching over some disobedient pup. The omega had no damn clue how to be an omega. He didn’t know when to back down, didn’t know any boundaries, and most of all didn’t fall into his dynamic whatsoever. How could his mom let him run around and pretend to be something he wasn’t? It was unhealthy for him to be using scent blockers anyways. Hell, there were people out there trying to make it fucking illegal! It made heats irregular and so strong that they became unmanageable, caused infertility, depression, and if they took it too far, even death. Aomine sighed and pushed his thoughts aside. Not his omega, not his problem. The teen was going to be gone tomorrow and things would be back to normal.

-

Haizaki woke with a start the next morning, the scents around him not at all familiar. The cold had woken him up initially, but it the fact that he wasn't at home and on his own bed that made him snap awake. When he remembered exactly where he was, the omega growled at himself and reeled his emotions in before they became noticeable in his scent. Rubbing a hand down his face, the teen realized that he was still sticky with sweat. Shougo crinkled his nose in disgust and got up, his stomach growling immediately and adding to the list of current problems that the omega had at the moment. Deciding to do something about his stickiness before eating, Haizaki stepped out into the hallway right as Aomine opened his bedroom door and startled him. Daiki watched the other jump and puff up like a scared kitten before settling again with masked amusement.

“Why the hell are you up so early?”, Haizaki asked as he tried to cover up his small scare.

“I’m going to see the Kaijo vs Seirin game. Why are you up so early?”, the alpha shot back as he yawned tiredly.

“I was cold and I'm all gross.”

“You just now realized that you're revolting?”, Aomine asked lazily, inwardly laughing at how indignant the shorter got.

“Not in that way, asshole. I'm still sweaty and I need a shower.”

Without a word more Daiki walked back inside of his bedroom and came back with a black long-sleeved shirt and some sweatpants. He pushed them into Shougo’s hands and then walked over to the hallway cabinet, pulling out a towel before throwing that at the omega’s face so he wouldn't have to see the damage he'd done anymore. 

“You're welcome.”, the alpha said as he walked past to go sit on the couch and watch t.v. The shorter glared after him, but the power-forward paid him no mind.

Too tired to focus on being petty, the omega simply turned and walked into the bathroom; setting the towel and change of clothes on the counter and shutting and locking the door behind him. Haizaki sighed deeply and looked into the mirror to see a dark bruise marring right half of his pale face. His mother was going to nag him again and his brother was going to have a hard time looking at him without getting mad. Deciding to ignore the mark for now, the omega reached up and began undoing his braids. He was honestly getting sick of the style and wanted to have his hair back down into the hairstyle he had during middle school. The process of taking the braids out was at least a twenty minute affair. Usually, taking them out would be quicker than that but with only his fingers to work with he had a harder time. Once finished with that, the omega finally peeled off his sweaty clothes and turned on the shower before stepping in.

Aomine sat on the couch, boredly skipping through the channels. His mind was elsewhere at the moment and it wasn't focused on his upcoming game. Instead it was more focused on the fact that he'd hit Haizaki so hard that it left a nasty bruise on his face. If that wasn't a breech to alpha code, then Daiki didn't know what is. Yes, Shougo had deserved to be punished in some sort of way, but hitting the omega wasn't the right way to go about it. An omega’s body just couldn't stand up to the power of an alpha. Their bodies broke more easily and to be honest, Aomine was surprised that he hadn't fractured the other’s skull due to the amount of force he'd put behind his blow. In his defense he hadn't known of Haizaki’s status but it still didn't sit right with him. As he sat there blankly looking at the t.v. screen and flipping channels, Daiki began to lose track of time as his mind finally shifted to the upcoming game between Kaijo and Seirin; excitement and adrenaline racing through his veins at the thought of watching both teams go head to head.

“Rein in your fucking pheromones, Aomine.”, a familiar voice cut into the alpha’s thoughts. “I thought you were having a brawl out here or something .”

“You're just mad that my pheromones are making you anxious.”, The alpha said, rolling his eyes as he went to look over at the omega, catching sight of a kid he was more familiar with in his middle school years, minus the ash-grey hair. Looking at Haizaki was like looking into the past and it gave the alpha a wave of memories that he’d rather forget. Other than that, Daiki couldn’t help but notice that the teen looked more “omega” with his hair down. His sharp features were softened and it showed a bit of proof of his dynamic. Aomine guessed that the new hairstyle was meant to sharpen them in the first place; make him look less his dynamic.

“What?”, the small-forward snapped when he saw that the ace was staring at him.

“Nothing. You're just walking nostalgia.”, the alpha said, shaking his head and looking back at the t.v. “There's pizza in the fridge if you want.”

Haizaki gave the other a weird look, before making a beeline to the kitchen. 

“Okay. Whatever that means.”, the shorter said at the phrase “walking nostalgia”.

The omega walked over to the fridge pulling at the clothes that were two sizes too big for him and pulled out the box of food waiting for him. Taking a piece out, Haizaki simply bit into it; not bothering to microwave it as he actually liked his pizza cold. The rest of the pieces were put onto a paper towel for transport to the table and the box made its way to the garbage with the other. As Haizaki sat at the dining room table to eat his food and watch t.v. He found that he wasn't so stressed as he was the night before. Because he and Daiki had known each other in their middle school years, they simply fell back into their old relationship; One of easy tolerance. 

“My older brother is picking me up in an hour. He shot me a text when I got out of the shower.”, Shougo said nonchalantly after eight minutes of silence between them.

Aomine nodded where he sat but didn't turn to look at the omega.

“How does he know where you are and what about my clothes?”, the alpha said back as he changed the channel to sports center.

“Phone tracker and I'll bring them back.”

A silence fell over them again as Haizaki finished the crust of his third piece of pizza and got up to throw his paper towel away and wash his hands in the kitchen sink. When he toweled his hands off on the hand towel, the omega moved to the living room to sit on the loveseat to the left of the couch Aomine was sitting on. The seat was angled to that the back of it faced the front door instead of the dining room table. When Haizaki sat down, the omega pulled up his legs so that he could rest his chin on his knees; giving the alpha a good view of the damage he’d done to his now dark purple cheek. Daiki felt his instincts condemn him for laying hand on the omega so brutally. He actually felt shame and guilt for doing it.

“How does your face feel?”, the alpha asked, trying to feign nonchalance.

Haizaki turned to look at the taller, his gaze pretty much calling the ace an idiot for even asking such a dumb question.

“It feels like it's been kissed by a bunch of fucking butterflies.”, the omega said sarcastically as he rolled his own steel-grey eyes.

“So very bad then.”, Daiki mumbled, feeling more guilt settle in his gut.

“Yes, Sherlock. It hurts very badly and I hate you.”

The alpha groaned deeply as he let his head fall against the back of the couch.

“I hate you too, so why do I feel so bad for hitting you?”

Shougo shrugged as he turned back to the t.v.

“Instincts probably.”

Aomine accepted that answer and dropped questioning his feelings for the time being. Haizaki was an omega and omega pulled deeply at his instincts. But still...It was just so weird. On the other side of the room, Shougo let out a long breath as he closed his eyes. His face was throbbing and he just couldn't wait to be home so he can down some Tylenol. He was very done with this scene. As if the gods decided he'd taken enough shit for awhile, Haizaki’s phone buzzed with a message from his brother. The omega unballed from his position so quickly that it actually startled the other a little in his eagerness. 

“I'm going now. I would thank you but you punched me in the face, kidnapped me, and used my dynamic against me three times so I’ll pass.”, the omega said as he went to the spare bedroom to gather his things.

Aomine watched him go, his eye twitching.

“For the last time, I didn't kidnap you!”, the alpha snapped as the shorter male came back out and put his shoes on at the front door.

“Sure you didn't, asshole.”, the omega said rolling his eyes as he stood up. “I'll bring your clothes back and if I don't then no biggie, right? Also I brushed my teeth with the new toothbrush I found under the bathroom sink.”

And with that, Shougo walked out the door; shutting it behind him a little too hard in his haste to be home.

“Bastard.”, the alpha muttered to himself as he changed the channel again and picked up his phone to message Tetsuya.

To: Tetsuya

‘I need to talk to you.’

From: Tetsuya

‘Aren't you doing that already, Aomine-kun?’

To: Tetsuya

‘Haha, very funny Tetsu. But really, I need to talk to you.’

From: Tetsuya

‘About what?’

To: Tetsuya

‘Just call me.’

From: Tetsuya

‘Give me a minute.’

-

Takashi’s fingers were tight on the steering wheel, his simmering rage boiling silently within him at seeing the giant bruise on the right side of his baby brother’s face.

“So… You gonna tell me what happened to your face?”, Haizaki’s older brother asked as calmly as he possibly could.

The omega flinched at his brothers tone, but he knew that Takashi wasn't mad at him. He was mad at who did this and he wanted Shougo to spill out a name and an address.

“No.”, the omega said flatly as he looked out the window, memorizing the area so that he could bring Daiki’s clothes back if he ever got around to it.

The older male took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, reluctantly letting the tension fall from his shoulders.

“Okay.”

Haizaki was thankful that his brother didn't ever push him to answer what he didn't want to. Still, though he let him do what he wanted, Takashi obviously couldn't help but worry about about him. He really really made an effort to keep out of Shougo’s business best he could, but sometimes it was hard for him to keep his anger in check when his little brother wound up injured.

“It isn't as bad as it looks.”, the omega offered as he looked back to Takashi. 

“Tell that one to mother. She's not so easily swayed.”

The omega made a face at that last comment. As if he needed to be reminded of the emotional shit-storm his mother was going to go through when he got home and she saw her baby boy’s face.

“Thanks for pointing that one out to me.”, the younger Haizaki huffed as his brother laughed at him.


	2. Shitty Choices Breed Shitty Circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Haizaki just can't seem to catch a break.

“What did you want to talk to me about Aomine-kun?”, the blue-haired omega asked through the phone.

“Haizaki.”, the alpha said, cutting right to the point.

“What about him?”

“He’s an omega.”

“I know.”

“I hit him...”

“...Oh.”

“I didn’t know! I swear to you!”, the ace said, jumping to his own offense at the tone in Tetsuya’s voice. “He was using scent blockers and passing off another alpha’s scent as his own.”

“You are still at fault, are you not? You did stoop down to his level.”, the omega said as he shifted around a bit, trying to make his bed with only one hand.

“Tetsu. I didn’t call you for you to make my guilt even worse.”, Aomine sighed.

“Then what do you want then? I am not going to tell you that you were in the right.”

“Okay, Okay. I get it. My main reason for calling you is because after I hit him, I wound up taking him home with me because other people smelt his distress and I didn’t want to get caught up and now everything's weird because I hate him yet I can’t treat him like I usually do and I suddenly care about his well-being and shit.”, Daiki spat out quickly as he ran his fingers through his hair.

The omega on the other end of the line let out a long, suffering sigh as he gathered his response, whilst trying to locate his bag.

“It is instinct. As an alpha you have a drive to provide, protect, and care for an omega. Basic biology, Aomine-kun.”

“Right.”

The alpha sat in silence as he listened to the Kuroko get up, unzip what he assumed to be his sports bag and start packing things into it. The omega didn’t hang up even though he was busy as he knew that Aomine just wanted his presence more than anything right now. His instincts and mind were in turmoil and he didn’t know how to put them to rest, so Daiki came to him. Tetsuya usually would have just told him to apologize for hitting. Haizaki, but the shadow knew that the alpha wasn’t big on apologies. If he could hardly say he was sorry to Momoi, then Shougo wouldn’t get much either. That and the taller omega probably would just get mad that the alpha had apologized only because his instincts demanded he make things up with him.

“I am hanging up now. If you want, you can come over later and talk about it then.”, the omega said as he zipped up his bag; ready to leave the house. “ I hope to see you at the game.”

“Yeah.”, Aomine replied before the line went dead.

The alpha sighed as he pulled his phone from his ear and saw that it was almost time to leave for said game. He was going to be late for the next train and Momoi was going to be ticked that he made them late. Daiki didn't understand why the hell she didn't just go on her own instead of waiting for him each time. It'd save him from a lot of screaming and hitting if she just got on the damn train without him. Deciding that he really should get going if he didn't want to multiply his punishment, the ace got up off the couch and grabbed his keys off the coffee table. Just as he finished slipping on his shoes, he got the dreaded call. Aomine ignored it and stepped out the door, locking it behind him. A text followed after that and again the alpha ignored that as well as he walked down the three flights of stairs and outside. The next call, Daiki finally answered. 

“What?”

“Where are you Dai-chan?! We’re about to miss the train!!”, the pink-haired beta screeched Aomine’s ear, making him recoil and move the phone further away from his ear. Why was she always so damn loud?

-

It was when Takashi got out of the car, following after his younger brother that he noticed the change of clothes. Honestly he should have noticed earlier, but he was just so absolutely consumed in the fact that his little brother had a giant bruise on his face.

“Oi, Shougo.”, the alpha called to the omega who was currently trying to unlock the front door.

“Yeah? What is it?”, the small-forward asked as he jiggled the key in the hopes that the damn door would open. 

“You’re wearing another alpha’s clothes. Are you finally letting one rut you instead of that little omega friend of yours?”, Takashi asked as he gently pushed past his younger brother so that he could unlock the door for him.

Haizaki growled a bit at the thought of getting on his hands and knees and letting Aomine fuck him into the mattress.

“No.”, the omega said harshly as he pushed passed his brother and inside, immediately making his way to the kitchen for some medicine to kill the pain in his face.

Takashi closed the door behind him as he stepped in, taking off his shoes before entering unlike his brother who just walked straight in. Not that it really mattered. It was the youngest Haizaki who cleaned the floors anyways.

“Why not? There’s no way whatever that omega is packing is satisfying to you.”, Takashi said with a yawn as he moved to go sit on the couch as he heard his little brother growl in irritation while he dug around in the medicine cabinet.

“You know damn why I wouldn’t let some fucking alpha rut me and letting Tetsuya do it instead is better than having no one.”, Shougo said simply as he swallowed down four tylenol pills completely dry. 

Takashi shrugged at that. It was true that having another omega help him through his heat was better than him going through it by himself at home. Honestly, it was extremely awkward having to hear his younger brother mewl and whine for an alpha’s knot for a week straight, only stopping when he needed to eat or drink. Even if Takashi didn’t get turned on by his little brother because they were of blood, he still couldn’t block out his needy calls and distressed scent. Not wanting to think about it anymore, the alpha quickly moved his thoughts to his beta. Like clockwork, his thoughts quickly went from awkward to absolutely raunchy in about two point five seconds.

“Stop thinking about Nijimura. I can fucking smell you.”, the youngest Haizaki snapped at his older brother, slamming the bottle of pill in his hand on the counter.

“Shuuzo’s hot, okay?”, Takashi laughed as his brother got all the more heated.

Shougo hated his brother's beta. The ex-captain had always been beating him up and dragging him to practice against his free will back then. He was the only one on the team who could control him and he kept the youngest Haizaki in line even better than Takashi and their mother could. For that reason, the omega hated the beta.

“Yeah, whatever. Where the fuck are my scent blockers?”, Haizaki finally asked, not wanting to think about his brother rutting the beta for a second longer.

“Mom threw them out.”, Takashi answered as he took out his phone and started texting someone. If Shougo had to guess, then he was messaging Nijimura. “She said she won’t buy them for you anymore because she finally found out how dangerous they really were when the news talked about banning them yesterday.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me…”, the youngest Haizaki groaned as he threw his head back. “My team doesn’t even know that I’m an omega. They’ll never take me seriously again and they’ll probably try and court me or some shit.”

Takashi laughed and momentarily looked away from his text message to look at his younger brother.

“What alpha would wanna court you? All you do is try and show dominance over them all day long. Hell, you don’t even act your dynamic even a little bit outside your heat. Well… you do cook and clean, but in your case that isn’t enough.”

Haizaki felt a little twinge of indignation and a little hurt rise up in him at that statement. Being told that he’s a lackluster omega bothered him a bit even though he was purposely making himself this way.

“Thanks, Takashi. I’m glad to hear that I’m doing a good job at running alpha off.”, Shougo said, feigning indifference. 

“No problem.”, the older Haizaki replied. “What are you gonna do now that you have to walk around smelling like your dynamic? You won't hang out with those sketchy people anymore now, right?”

The younger didn't reply to that as he walked towards his bedroom. He wouldn't be able to anymore. His friends were shady as hell and were all alpha. Shougo was at the top of the group hierarchy, but he was always being tested by alpha of lower ranking. If they found out his dynamic, they’d use it against him so they could tear him off his throne and do even worse. Being the group’s bitch didn’t sound all that appealing so, yeah. He'd steer clear and let the next dog have his day.

“I'm going to practice.”, Shougo called to his brother as he quickly changed; throwing on his practice jersey and shorts from off the top of his bed. He just had to know if things would be all that different if his team found out about him being an omega. He had to know if would still hold his previous weight as far as team hierarchy went.

“Are you sure you want to go?”, the omega’s older brother asked warily, not sure if it was entirely a good idea.

“Yes.”, the younger Haizaki said, rolling his eyes as he straightened out his uniform a bit before walking back out to the living room, sport’s bag slung over his shoulder.

“Want me to take you? I'm going to Shuuzo’s in a second anyways.” , Takashi said, running his fingers through his raven locks to tidy up his messy hair.

“Of course you are.”, Shougo scoffed as he checked his bag to see that he had a change of clothes for after practice. “Let's go.”

The ride to Fukuda Sogo was extremely uncomfortable for the youngest Haizaki. Smelling his brother’s arousal was already bad enough on its own and it was made even worse by the fact that the alpha didn't care enough to rein it in. Takashi and Shuuzo were definitely going to fuck as soon as the alpha stepped through the door and the thought of that made bile rise in the back of the younger’s throat.

“Seriously? Get yourself under control.” , the youngest Haizaki barked as they braked at the stoplight before the turn to Shougo’s school.

“I can't help it.”, Takashi whined melodramatically, really not able to make his arousal go down. “Besides, I have to smell you when you go into heat.”

Shougo sighed at his brother’s puppyish demeanor. Sometimes he didn't even act like the alpha he was. He was so damn whiney that sometimes he rivaled even Ryota; the king of the whiney alpha.

“That's different and you know it. I can't believe that Nijimura even puts up with you.”, the youngest Haizaki said, rolling his eyes as they pulled up to the school. 

“He only puts up with me because I rut him better than anyone else can.”, Takashi smirked, the action very similar to Shougo’s. “You should hear him scream and beg for my-”

The older didn't get to finish this sentence as the omega’s hands shot up to cover his brother’s mouth fully.

“I do NOT need to fucking know what disgusting things you two do!”, the shorter male yelled, his face showing clear revulsion.

Shougo’s older brother laughed through his fingers, before the younger pulled away and snatched up his bag without so much as saying a word. Fucking nasty. Now he had to live with that visual for the rest of his life. 

“Have fun, Shougo!”, he called before the car door slammed in his face. Takashi laughed at the action as he stayed parked where he was, watching to see that his little brother got to where he was suppose to go safely. When he opened the gym doors and stepped in, he finally drove away.  
-

All eyes turned to Shougo as soon as he stepped inside. It was nothing that was out of ordinary because all members of the team always looked towards their highest ranking “alpha”, but it still made the omega’s skin crawl. He felt absolutely bare without his older brother’s scent and scent blockers, but forced himself not to act like anything was out of the ordinary.

“What the fuck are you all looking at, hah?”, Haizaki growled out making everyone in the room immediately throw their gazes to the floor. So far so good. With his head held high, Shougo walked to the bench and threw his bag down before walking out onto the court with his hands outstretched. Without question, Kazuhiro passed the ball in his hands to the omega; his eyes averted while the team kicked into gear and got into position. The omega smirked when he saw that no one was on his side. Instead, they’d all merged into one whole team against the ace. Nothing new there either. Whenever Haizaki decided to step in and play, they used him as defense practice. Something in the omega reveled in the fact that he was seen as so strong that they felt that they should all herd up in order to even reach halfway to his level.

The omega tsked, adrenaline racing through him as he charged through everyone on the court, bobbing, weaving, and dribbling his way to the hoop with natural ease. When he was about halfway there, the ball was stolen from him but was easily retrieved. As he approached the net, nearly everyone on the team waited to jump up and knock the ball away from their hoop. Shougo didn't even falter as he took flight and went for a dunk, pushing anyone who'd attempted to intercept him to the floor. Slamming the ball in with more force than necessary, the tall omega fell back to the ground; gracefully landing on his feet. Haizaki let out a chuckle as he looked at the aftermath that he'd left in his wake. They weren't expecting him to come out with that much power right at the start, that much was evident.

“You smell like you've spent three months in some omega’s bed.”, Hideki panted from on the floor as he moved to stand, making a chill go down Haizaki’s spine.

“Right?”, one of the benchwarmers spoke up from the other end of the court. “He doesn't even smell like an alpha anymore.”

Shougo stayed tactically silent, hiding his unease as he offered up a shrug. From beside him, Kazuhiro was giving him a weird look, the second in command’s suspicious demeanor making everyone else look at their first in command with confusion on their faces. 

“Again.”, Haizaki demanded, trying to make the team focus on something else instead. 

With no hesitation, everyone did as they were told; even Mochizuki, who still had his suspicions. Again, Shougo found himself on one end of the court standing completely alone. Dribbling the ball for a few seconds to decide which route to take, Haizaki peered at each of his teammates. All had forgotten the previous interaction already, which left only the second command. No problem here. He could still handle this. Finally finding his route, the omega charged again. This time it was harder to make his way through the mess of bodies, but in the end the ace made it through; smirk plastered on his face the whole time. Body burning with anticipation, Haizaki again went for a dunk. He was so sure that he was going to make it in, that when Kazuhiro’s hand came up and slammed the ball from his hands; he completely faltered. 

The omega fell from his height like a bag full of bricks; landing hard and with his legs not in the right position for him to land standing up. Instead, Shougo fell onto his ass and the sight of seeing their first in command fall to their second in command made everyone in the room pause. The silence in the room was absolutely deafening and Haizaki was so shocked himself that he couldn't gloss the incident over with violence like he should have.

“Something’s fucking off!”, Kazihiro said, his alpha scent fluctuating and filling the room. 

“What the fuck are you talking about?!”, Haizaki threw back with a snarl, brushing of the intimidation the other was trying to exercise.

“Your scent. It isn't another omega’s, is it?”, the alpha growled lowly as he glared daggers at their first in command.

Shougo opened his mouth to refute it, but he choked up. It was the truth, wasn't it?

“Is it!”, the second in command roared as his dominating pheromones leaked from him in large bouts; demanding his answer.

It was then that the omega snapped back, immediately jumping to his feet to use his height as a tool to intimidate since his omega scent wouldn't have much weight in the situation.

“No, It's not! Who the fuck cares!”, Haizaki yelled, his steel-grey eyes digging into Kazuhiro’s own dark ones.

Shock went through every one in the gym as they looked at Shougo as if he were an alien. No one would have guessed, not in a million years if he'd still been taking his scent blockers.

“What do you mean, ‘who the fuck cares?’!”, the second ranking alpha growled. “We’ve been bossed around by a damn omega his whole damn time! Someone who's supposed to be at the very bottom is first in command above all the beta and alpha!”

“And? I'm first in command because I proved myself more dominant than each and every one of you! The only thing omega about me is my scent, Mochizuki!”, Shougo said, his demeanor promising danger as he rose himself to full height so that he was towering over his second in command. The alpha’s eyes were absolutely murderous and his scent called for blood, but it looked as though he were going to back down. Haizaki let himself bask in pride for a few moments before a quick hand reached out to grab a fistful of dark grey hair and yank the omega's head to the side.

“Oh? Is that what the fuck you think?”, the second in command said dangerously as he pulled the taller male closer. Before the ace could so much as spit in the other male’s face, lips were already pressed to his neck; a hot tongue slipping between them to stimulate his gland. A yelp fell from the omega’s lips as his legs immediately gave out under him and he found himself on his knees; the alpha going with him. Reveling in the power he had over the person who'd had so much reign over him that he got away with slapping him across the face with no repercussions, Kazuhiro growled and pressed forward so that Haizaki was on his back in the middle of the court. The omega didn't fight him too hard as expected and instead was wrething underneath his weight and trying to hold his voice back. Wanting to thoroughly humiliate him, the second in command gave a harsh suck and was rewarded with a loud moan. It was cut off immediately, but the damage had already been done.

“Get. Off!”, Shougo yelled as he tried to fight through the haze; rage and anxiety enveloping him. He had no clue how far the alpha would go when he was absolutely drunk on power, but already the captain had set a temporary claim on him and that was enough to send warning bells tearing through his system. 

Seeing the omega get damn near raped on the court floor and smelling the slight tinge of panic in the air made the alpha in the room immediately react but by then, Shougo had already managed to kick the alpha hard in his stomach and was now moving away from the pained male. Even if it wasn't needed, two other alpha got on the second in command, now first command, in a split second, their teeth bared in warning as they teamed up on him in order to tear him completely away from Shougo. As if that wasn't humiliating enough, Hideki rushed to Haizaki’s side and pulled him up off the ground carefully, his scent already filled with calming factors as he herded the omega away from the other alpha that was now in an absolute rage. Completely overwhelmed by what was going on, the taller male allowed himself to be moved towards the bench. It was only when the rest of the team, minus the two alpha who were still holding Mochizuki back, came over and crowded him blaring their concern for him all because of his damn dynamic that Haizaki came back to himself.

“An omega is still a damn omega, no matter how you dress it up!”, Kazuhiro called over to the ace, making the world damn near stop. And just like that, the rage inside of Shougo was reignited inside of him, stronger than it had been before. 

“Everyone back the fuck up!”, The omega growled, shoving the nearest body away from him with more force than was necessary. It was enough to put the beta in front of him on his rear and for the rest to get the idea and immediately give the taller wide berth as if suddenly remembering why the fuck the omega had been first in command in the first place. Pushing passed all the bodies around him, Shougo walked back up to the alpha who was still being restrained. The two that were holding the bald male immediately let go and stepped away as soon as they saw the look in the omega’s eyes. The new first command was on his own against the previous team head. 

Even though he'd had his ass handed to him plenty of times before, courtesy of Haizaki, the shooting guard held his ground as he rose his head in challenge and lashed out with his dominating pheromones. Shougo completely disregarded the front and advanced anyways, his own pheromones lashing out. Even if it was an omega’s, the scent was so absolutely thick and reeking of warning that it had nearly the same effect on everyone in the room as a commanding alpha’s would. When the taller male was finally close enough to reach out and dish out the alpha’s punishment, Mochizuki finally got enough sense to at least falter in his disposition, but by then it was much too late. 

Haizaki laced his fingers behind the shorter male’s neck and swiftly brought be alpha’s face down into his knee; a sickening crack resonating through the court. Even at the gasp of pain, the omega didn't stop. A right-hook was thrown next, the force more than enough to get the already dazed captain on the floor. Shougo was ticked that the alpha had fallen and he couldn't punch the bastard anymore, but quickly moved to kicking and stomping on the already downed male. Every grunt and cry of pain was music to the omega’s ears and honestly he didn't think he would have ever stopped if it wasn't for Hideki and three other team members pulling him away from the bloodied male shriveling at his feet like the lesser he was.

Shoving the bodies off of him with a growl, the omega turned away; his pride and rank restored but heavily damaged. Without a word the omega walked back to the bench and grabbed his bag; stalking out and snarling fiercely at Hideki when the alpha attempted to follow him. Face red with anger and humiliation, Haizaki pushed his way through the gym doors and quickly walked away from the whole situation. He fucking reeked of the second command and what was worse, he held slightly less weight than he had when everyone thought he was an alpha.  
-

The gym fell silent as Kuroko’s abnormal shot made it into the net just as the clock hit zero. No one on the court moved an inch and it looked as if they were all trapped in time while they waited to see the final score materialise on the scoreboard. Even though everyone knew what the outcome would be, one side still held onto the hope that the shot wouldn’t be recorded and the other held onto the anxiety that they were too late for the shot to be added to their score. As predicted by everyone in the stands, the score changed just as the buzzer went off; signifying the end of the game. Seirin was victorious and would face off against Rakuzan in the next and final match of the winter cup.

Aomine watched as Tetsuya was showered with his teammates’ praises as they celebrated their win while Kise and his team were in shambles. Tears were being shed and team morale was being crushed; watching the opposite side bathed in happiness only throwing salt on freshly opened wounds. Daiki felt genuine pity for Kise as he’d given it his all, but that feeling was trumped by the sight of his ex-shadow’s rare, but soft smiles. Most of them, he couldn’t help but notice, were directed at Kagami. The alpha was practically bursting with pride and strutting around like a peacock at “his” omega’s amazing buzzer-beater. Taiga was not yet officially with Kuroko, but it was obvious that he soon would be seeing as the omega practically lit up like a light when the ace’s gaze rested on him. Aomine felt a twinge of jealousy at watching what was once his fall into another alpha’s arms, but quickly forced it away. It was himself that had pushed the omega away in the first place so he had no right to feel this way. After going through the traumatic experience of being completely cut off from his ex-alpha, Tetsuya deserved to have his happiness with someone who’d treat him with the care he needed.

Daiki was torn from his silent observations when he caught the movement of Satsuki turning and practically sprinting towards the stairs so she could meet with Kuroko and give her congratulations. The alpha sighed and followed closely after her, making sure to glare at any beta and alpha that were eyeing the pinkette in a way that he didn’t like. Momoi had been the recipient of far too much sexual harassment and Aomine made it a personal mission to lessen those incidents as long as he could help it. 

“Dai-chan!”, the pinkette called out exasperatedly when she realized that the alpha was lagging behind because of the fact that he was caught up in a silent battle of dominance with another alpha.

Honestly, this was almost ridiculous. It was one thing to keep perverts away if they approached, but completely another to throw his weight around when someone so much as looked at her for a little too long. When the ace refused to budge from his position, the beta sighed and walked back to her childhood friend; grasping his arm and pulling him away. All the while, the alpha refused to break eye-contact with the other male until the corner they turned forcefully broke their battle. Free of his alpha instinct to protect his packmate, the said ace wrenched his arm from Satsuki as they made their way down the stairs to wait for Tetsuya to get out of the locker rooms.

-

Daiki watched with feigned indifference as Momoi practically jumped all over the bluenette outside the steadily emptying gym; shoving her boobs in the shorter boy’s face while Kuroko’s teammates watched with blatant jealousy. Aomine had to fight down a growl and just ignore their hungry gazes as he instead focused on Kagami who was approaching him; his eyes not averted like any other alpha moving towards the ace usually would. Both alpha were on even ground in terms of dominance so neither yielded to the other. They had a certain respect for one another so this fact didn’t bother either of them and thus they didn’t get into constant fights in order to figure out who was truly above the other.

“Nice win, Bakagami.”, Aomine said with a smirk, his bored expression from earlier now morphing into something more snarky; adrenaline tingling under his skin. “I can’t wait to crush you to pieces during our next match.” 

The Seirin ace prickled at the nickname as he frowned at the darker-skinned alpha before him.

“I’d like to see you try, Ahomine.”, Taiga spat back. “I beat you last time, didn’t I? What’s to say that you can do it this time around?”

“I’m always improving so as far as you know, I might be better than you already..”, Daiki smirked as he raised himself to full height as if to intimidate the other.

Of course the other alpha didn’t feel any intimidation as he was just as powerful as Aomine was and instead rose to meet the challenge set out for him. The pair could go on all day like this; Kagami spitting out his quick-fire responses, while Daiki openly mocked him some more. Not wanting to put up with the pair’s stupid arguments today, Kuroko calmly stepped out of Momoi’s grasp and jabbed a hand into each alpha’s ribs. Both of them sputtered and hunched over, their own hands moving to cover the ache in their sides.

“Dammit Kuroko.”, Kagami hissed as he glared at the omega who looked back at him with an expressionless gaze before turning to Aomine.

“Are you still coming over, Aomine-kun?”, Tetsuya asked the dark-skinned male, making Taiga perk up immediately. 

Feeling the redhead’s suspicious gaze on him, the Touou ace felt an awkwardness fill him. The other alpha obviously had a problem with Aomine being over at Tetsuya’s house, but shook his suspicions away. Kagami had no say in the matter so there was no reason to get worked up over it. Besides, the dark-skinned male wasn't even all that interested in the omega and if he was, then he didn't seem like he'd act on it.

“Yeah.”, Daiki said trying to seem as if Taiga’s open staring didn't make him prickle. “I still don't know what to even think right now.”

Kuroko nodded and said his goodbyes to his team, spending the longest time saying his farewells to Kagami. Usually, Tetsuya wouldn't bother going above and beyond for the other, but it was evident that the alpha needed some reassurance that his interest didn't lie with his ex. Once he was done with that, the omega turned and led the way to the train-station; Daiki falling into step with him as the bluenette passed by.

“I'll be home later, Satsuki!”, the Touou ace called over his shoulder to his beta who was now glaring at him because she now had to take the train home all by herself. 

Aomine would pay for this later, but he could handle a bit of nagging as he was used to it. Pushing the thought of a stern talking-to aside, the alpha continued along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.

-

“Why is this freaking you out so much Aomine-kun?”, Tetsuya sighed as he walked down the corridor to his front door. “Haizaki-kun is an omega. So what? He's still the same.”

Daiki ran his fingers through his navy hair with a heavy sigh.

“He's not. He may act the same, but It's all completely different now. I can never look at him the same again.”

 

“Just because your instincts changed things up a bit, does not mean that everything is different. Now you just do not want to hit him and you want to treat him like an actual person. That is all.”, Tetsuya said as they arrived at his apartment door , putting his key into the lock and turning only to find that the door was already unlocked. Aomine’s answer was cut off as he noticed this fact too, his senses now on high alert while Kuroko tried to figure this all out. 

The omega didn't live alone, but his parents were often gone on business trips so he might as well be. If they did ever decide to come home, they always texted beforehand. That eliminated that possibility, meaning it could only be one other person. Shrugging off his mild shock, the bluenette simply stepped on in. Aomine was still apprehensive, but followed as he scented the air. Someone was definitely here and the scent wasn't one he recognized immediately. The alpha stiffened a bit at that as Kuroko calmly took off his shoes and walked into the living room. 

“Haizaki-kun?”, Tetsuya called out as he found the person who'd gotten into his house to curl up on the couch again.

Aomine quickly pulled off his own shoes and walked to stand beside the bluenette, looking at the couch with disbelieving eyes. There, on the couch, was Haizaki Shougo. Not only was he here, but he'd made a nest for himself out of a bunch of blankets and pillows and was now fast asleep in it; his hair mussed in a way similar to Kuroko’s when he woke up.

“...What? Why is he here?”, Daiki demanded as he sniffed the air again to verify that, yes, the person on the couch was the bastard. He smelled so different than this morning that he didn't even seem like the same omega. His scent was mixed heavily with an alpha. He'd been temporarily claimed.

Daiki watched in shock as his ex-shadow walked up to the couch and immediately combed his fingers through Haizaki’s hair like it was the most normal thing in the world. Shougo let out a muffled chirrup when he recognized Kuroko’s scent and touch; the sound seeming so foreign to Aomine; especially coming from the taller omega.

“Haizaki-kun. What's wrong?”, Tetsuya asked, moving to sit down as the sleepy Fukuda ace slowly began to wake up and be hit with the reality that he'd been thoroughly violated today. Haizaki only nested when he was upset or going into heat and because his scent wasn't overly sweet, Kuroko figured that something was biting him.

Aomine watched as the serene look on the taller omega’s face vanished and was replaced with a far darker look.

“My mom threw out the rest of my scent blockers , but I went to practice anyways.”, Haizaki said as he worried at his scent gland, making a foreign alpha scent fill the room. “Long-story short, the second in command was pissed when he found out my dynamic and fucking staked claim on me. I beat the shit out of him and kept my rank, but I still smell like his bitch.”

Kuroko frowned a bit when he saw the dark bruise on the other male’s face; much to Aomine’s own shame. With a gentle hand, the omega pushed the taller omega’s head to the side so he could inspect the injury; his fingers lightly pressing until he heard a pained hiss from the bigger. 

“Did he do anything else?”, Tetsuya asked as he carefully continued his inspection.

“No. Everyone stopped him before he went any further.”, Shougo sighed as he willingly moved his head to the side to allow the other to touch his scent gland though it hurt like hell to allow him to do so. “It was fucking embarrassing. I felt like a damn damsel in distress.”

“Why would you go to practice with a bunch of people who hate you while smelling like your nature?.”, a gruff voice finally spoke up, making the person behind it known. “What the hell were you expecting to happen?”

Shougo jerked away from Tetsuya’s touch and stared wide-eyed at the alpha who was now strolling into the living room and sitting on the couch opposite of him and Kuroko. How the hell hadn’t he noticed him? The omega quickly schooled his expression though and glared at the Touou ace.

“I sure as hell wasn't expecting to be fucking molested. A fight, yeah, but this-?”, Haizaki growled at the memory. “I just want this damn scent off of me.”

The dark haired omega huffed and dug himself further into his nest; his scent gland exposed to Testsuya. Obviously Shougo trusted Kuroko down to a fault and Daiki silently wondered how long it had taken to build that sort of bond as the smaller omega looked down at Haizaki’s swollen gland; his nose wrinkling at the steady alpha scent pouring from it. A look that seemed to be akin to irritation passed Tetsuya’s usually passive features before the omega moved his hand to rub his wrist on the other’s neck; attempting to cover the alpha’s scent with his own. After a few moments of rubbing the shorter sniffed at the Fukuda ace again to find that his scent wasn't nearly strong enough to cover the alpha’s scent; only intermix with it.

“It's no use.” Daiki said, voicing the obvious. “Only another alpha can cover an alpha’s claim.”

“Thanks for pointing that out captain fucking obvious.”, Shougo said sourly as he again rubbed at his gland. “I can't even have Takashi cover it since it's on my damn scent gland. This fucking blows.”

Scent marking at the gland wasn't something you did with blood relations and if you did, it was highly frowned upon. It was seen as incestious and immoral.

“We can try and get Kagami-kun to put his claim over the one already there.”, Kuroko offered as Haizaki crinkled his nose in disgust at the idea.

“Kagami? Really?”, Shougo ranted. “The fucking idiot runs so deep on instinct that he'd probably see his damn claim on me as an addition to his harem of omega. I don't want him lingering around me like he's my damn alpha and I definitely don't want to deal with Himuro's jealousy. Plus, he’s practically your mate. Seriously, Tetsuya, what do you take me for? A home wrecker like Tatsuya?”

“I'll cover it.”, Aomine said suddenly with a sigh. He just couldn't let Haizaki keep the damn claim and have whatever asshole alpha who’d marked him like that be able to legally force him into sex. Daiki was very much against rape and couldn't stand those who used their rank to assault Omega and Beta alike. Alpha were allowed by law to forcefully fuck and seed a person in a lower rank as long as they had a claim on them which was utterly ridiculous in Aomine’s opinion.

“Like hell I'd let you put your damn claim on me after throwing your fucking weight around so you could get me to comply!”, Shougo spat, not exactly trusting Daiki.

Aomine rolled his eyes as Tetsuya looked sharply at the alpha. The look irritated Daiki as the omega KNEW that he wouldn't use his rank unless it was truly needed.

“Oh stop being dramatic. I never did anything but try to get you to calm down.”, the alpha shot back. “Besides, I don't want to rut you. My claim isn't going do anything but keep other alpha away for a few months.”

The taller omega’s steely-grey eyes still held a certain distrust in them and that look pissed Aomine off too. Here he was trying to be fucking helpful, and he was being accused of being one of those trash alpha who abused their power. 

“If you don't want my help, then fine.”, Daiki said, done with this situation altogether. “Let that asshole have the right to force you into letting him rut you whenever the fuck he pleases.”

Haizaki moved his gaze from the alpha’s and glared at the floor. Of course he didn't want to be fucking forced into spreading his legs for Kazuhiro, but he also didn't Aomine fucking Daiki to have his claim on him either. It was basically a property transaction. He was still going to be owned even though the Touou ace wasn't planning on using what he'd temporarily claimed as “his”. Still… It was better than being raped, wasn't it? Sighing, the omega stood and walked over to the alpha who was still looking at him; Daiki’s head raised in challenge and his body tense as if he expected Shougo to either strike him or yell at him or maybe both. That disposition immediately fell though when the omega did something that the alpha thought he'd never do in a million years. To Daiki’s absolute surprise, the omega did neither of those things and instead got onto his knees just barely between his own and cocked his head to the right with his arms tightly at his sides; his eyes averted. Complete submission. Even Kuroko was shocked at this as the taller omega was never quick to open himself to an alpha like that.

“Just hurry up and get it over with.”, Haizaki said in defeat.

Aomine lingered where he was for a few long moments, shock rendering him unable to move for a short while before Haizaki’s glare forced him to get to it. Reaching out a hand, the alpha quickly grasped hold of the back of the omega’s shirt and practically pulled him into his lap; Shougo’s head now resting in his shoulder. Haizaki wanted to move away and protest loudly but he stayed still and passive as he was forced to simply drink in Daiki’s scent. Aomine smelt like the air before a powerful thunderstorm; crisp like the sharp freshness of the wilderness though Shougo doubted the alpha had gone camping for more than two days at a time. Trashing the thoughts regarding the Touou ace’s scent, the omega focused on his current predicament. The position he was in made the Fukuda ace feel like he was about to ride the alpha’s cock, but the Fukuda ace knew that Aomine only placed him on top of his lap instead of just throwing him onto the floor so that he could have the option to back out if he still wanted to; not because the alpha wanted to watch Shougo bounce on his length.

A gasp emitted from the tall omega when he felt Daiki’s lips brush over his gland almost tenderly, like he was being affectionate instead of just trying to locate where exactly his scent gland was. At the sharp sound, Tetsuya stood from his place on the opposite couch and stepped to the pair. His eyes held a concerned light as he moved to make sure that the alpha wasn't hurting the other omega while said ace slipped out his tongue to lap at Haizaki’s neck. All outside thoughts pushed away for the time being, Shougo allowed his body to go limp as he began twitching and letting out small whimpers while Daiki slowly worked up to placing his claim. If he went about it too quickly, then it would hurt later on like Mochizuki’s did. 

Still full of anxiety for the other, Tetsuya moved ever closer; knowing that he was already pushing his luck. Aomine was a fairly patient alpha but he had to draw the line somewhere and let loose a deep warning growl; the sound making both omega shudder. Focusing back to the task at hand now that the other was backing away, Daiki circled his tongue around the swollen gland at his mouth and sucked harshly. The omega’s scent filled the air at that moment, making Aomine dizzy. Shougo’s scent reminded him of winter. Of newly fallen snow, ice, and pepermint. It was a sharp scent for an omega and it contrasted greatly with Tetsuya’s, who’s scent reminded the alpha of a tropical ocean breeze. Haizaki’s back arched at the sharp, painful, but pleasurable sensation that filled him; his fingers digging into the alpha’s shoulders as a sharp hiss fell passed his lips. It fucking hurt like hell to have his already swollen gland marked again. Aomine quickly stopped and disengaged at that point to keep the scent of arousal on Shougo’s skin from getting to him too much. His job was done. Mochizuki’s mark was now replaced by his own. 

“You're welcome.”, Aomine grumbled as he carefully moved the omega on his lap onto the couch beside him and got up to give Haizaki space to gather himself; Tetsuya quickly moving to fill the space he’d just occupied.

Aomine watched with a scoff as the shorter omega wedged himself between the taller’s chest and the couch to nose and worry at Haizaki while said teen simply chirruped a greeting; his pheromone-drunk state finally realizing that his omega companion was still here and was overjoyed at the fact. Honestly, who did Kuroko take him for? Obviously the bluenette was still not entirely trusting of him if he honestly thought that he'd hurt Shougo. The thought of Kuroko being so suspicious was honestly a little painful, but if he were to be honest, it wasn't unreasonable that he would be wary since he'd hit Haizaki just yesterday. Damn. That didn't sit well with him either. Why the fuck had he chosen to engage the bastard in a fist fight in the first place?

Tetsuya relaxed just as the other omega came back to himself; Shougo now grumbling his half-hearted complaints at the sudden close proximity and worry of the shadow as Daiki looked over to the opposite couch. He wanted to sit down but didn't think moving the Fukuda ace’s nest was worth it. Omega were very touchy about their nests as he’d learned when Kuroko broke down into tears because he'd cleaned up the blankets and pillows to make room on his bed for himself back in middle school. Daiki supposed that he could just sit in it, but that would be weird. Alpha usually only got into an omega’s nest when said omega was in heat and needed to be seeded. Having no other viable options, Aomine decided to simply park himself on the floor in front of the couch; his gaze resting on the sight of Tetsuya and Shougo curled into each other like a couple of pups.

“So…”, The Touou ace began. “Is someone going to explain this to me?”

“Explain what?”, Shougo replied, not even bothering to turn over and look at the alpha while Kuroko lifted his head to look over the bigger omega’s body from where he lay.

“Like, I don’t know, why you and Tetsu are so familiar with each other? How you got into his house?”

“With a key, genius.”, Haizaki said, purposely avoiding the previous question.

Aomine looked pointedly at his ex-shadow, knowing that the shorter would answer his questions more thoroughly.

“I gave Haizaki-kun a key back in middle school so he could get in whenever he was in heat.”, Kuroko explained with his usual blank look.

“So you’ve known for that long…Wait. Why would he need to come here for his heats?”, Daiki asked, pulling a face while Shougo’s shoulders tensed and the tip of his ears turned red.

“Because I’ve been rutting him through them since then.”

Aomine’s jaw dropped as he looked from Haizaki to Kuroko and back again. An omega rutting another omega through a heat was practically unheard of, though it most definitely wasn’t frowned upon. Most alpha would pay good money to see something like that though the omega who was in heat wouldn’t get much out of it. Clearly in shock, the alpha spat out the first thing that came to mind.

“But...there’s no way you could satisfy him!”

At this point, Shougo finally turned over to look at him; sitting up while he was at it.

“You sound just like my brother.”, the omega said, rolling his eyes though his face was dusted a light pink. “Of course I’d be more satisfied with a knot, but that doesn’t mean Tetsuya can do absolutely nothing for me.” 

Daiki ran a hand over his face in exasperation. This was a fucking lot to take in and way too soon after figuring out that Shougo was an omega and having to put a claim on him so he wouldn’t be legally raped.

“God, this is too damn weird…”, Aomine mumbled as he stood up from his spot on the floor; his gaze resting on the anomaly that is Haizaki Shougo. “You’re the weirdest omega I’ve ever met in my life.”

“I try.”, Haizaki replied with a shrug.

Shaking his head in disbelief, the alpha moved his gaze back to Tetsuya. 

“Anyways. I’m leaving, Tetsu.”, Daiki said, his brain absolutely fried at this point. “Satsuki is probably waiting for me.”

Without waiting for Kuroko’s reply, the alpha immediately turned and made his way to the front door. He’d already had trouble figuring Haizaki out before and now he had more food for thought. As the ace slipped on his shoes and opened the door to the outside world; he particularly lingered on one weird aspect of Shougo. Apparently, the Fukuda ace would easily let an omega rutt him to oblivion but refused an alpha’s service and knot even though it’d feel way better. Why? It didn’t make sense! Why would any omega go through the torture of being in a constant state of arousal and rutting that led to a hardly satisfying release when all one had to do was let an alpha have at them a couple times? He just couldn’t understand why the omega forced himself to pretty much completely override his instincts in every instance, no matter how painful and stressful it was for him to do so. Daiki just couldn’t understand Haizaki at all.


	3. Hiding In Plain Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Aomine is oblivious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for this shitty chapter. I got stuck more than a few times while writing this out because I couldn't decide how I wanted this story to go (I have so many damn storylines for this fanfic) and couldn't figure out how to smoothly thread scenes together more times than not. So yeah, it's a little choppy and probably not well constructed, but hey, I gave it my best. 
> 
> Also my work is not beta-read so if you see any spelling mistakes or sentences that don't make any sense, let me know! c:

As soon as Daiki got home, he was welcomed with a hard punch to the arm. Slightly peeved, Aomine rubbed his appendage where Momoi had socked him. For a beta, the girl was freakishly strong.

“Am I not allowed to have a life outside of you?”, Daiki grumbled as the pinkette continued to simply glare at him.

“We had plans, Dai-chan.”, Satsuki huffed as she turned to walk into the alpha’s livingroom; angry that she had to cancel a shopping trip because of the Touou ace. 

“You mean that you had plans and were going to force me to come along with you.”, Aomine said back boredly as he walked into the kitchen to make a sandwich.

Momoi only grumbled at that as she took out her phone to text Kise. The blonde alpha was by far a better shopping companion than Aomine was, but he was always so busy due to his modeling career. As she typed up a message, Satsuki silently prayed that the Kaijo ace was free this afternoon. As Momoi delved herself into her texting and Daiki into his sandwich making, absolute silence permeating around the room; leaving Aomine to his thoughts. He was entirely antsy at the moment; jittery and unable to just sit down because of the stress of not being able to share his conscience with someone. Sure he'd talked to Tetsuya a bit, but he'd barely been able to get rid of some of the weight as the topic of conversation just had to be at the bluenette’s home. Irritated at the loss of talk-therapy the alpha slapped his peanut butter and jelly together with more force than necessary and took an angry bite out of it as he walked into his living room; stopping by the sliding glass door that lead to the balcony.

Glaring at the glass, Daiki brought back up questions regarding a certain alpha-like omega. He tried to evaluate everything he had racing through his mind, figure each piece of information out and try and fit them together, and then file it away but that was easier said than done. If he couldn't understand Shougo, then he'd never be able to put his questions to rest, never be able to figure out why the omega did the things he did. Why did he even care? Why was Haizaki suddenly a puzzle that he was so desperately trying to solve? He never gave two fucks about him before, did he not? Sighing in more frustration that was now directed at himself, Aomine took another violent bite out of his sandwich.

“Something wrong, Dai-chan?”, Momoi asked, noticing her childhood friend’s agitation.

“Yes. There's something wrong with that damn omega and there's something wrong with me.”, Daiki said curtly as he tried to take a deep breath and steady himself.

“Omega?”, Satsuki said confused as she sniffed the air, her eyes lighting up when she smelt an omega scent mixed with her friend’s. “You have another omega? Is that why you ditched me after the Fukuda vs. Kaijo game?”

“No. He's not my omega.”, Aomine said flatly. “I just covered up another alpha’s claim for him.”

“Then why do you care so much?”

“I can't figure this defective omega out and I don't know why I care to figure him out!”, the alpha said exasperatedly, threading his fingers through his navy hair.

Momoi got a sly look on her face as she moved to lay down on her stomach, her head in her hands and her legs up and kicking behind her.

“Oh? Could Dai-chan be interested in an omega that for once doesn't like him back?”, the pinkette teased.

Aomine sputtered indignantly. Like hell!

“Hell no! The omega is just a freak of nature. He doesn't yield to alpha, he challenges them. He won't follow his instinctual drive to submit and let an alpha care for and lead him, he defies it. That thing is hardly an omega! He probably wants to BE an alpha. I don't understand why he feels the need to push his limits like this. What is he trying to prove?”

The room fell quiet again after that, Daiki’s heavy breathing the only thing heard between them. The poor idiot. Why did he have to make things so difficult?

“Why don't you just ask him?”, Momoi suggested as she picked up her phone to answer the text she just got from Kise. “If you want to understand him, then you have to actually talk to him.”

“It's not that easy…”

Satsuki’s pink eyes looked up from the screen of her phone to find Daiki dramatically clenching his sandwich with two hands , his head bowed low   
like this was the biggest dilemma of the century. 

“And why is that?”

Aomine thought for a moment before he got irritated again, his hands diving back into his hair.

“It just isn’t, alright?”

Momoi rolled her eyes as she went back to texting.

“Fine. Make it a big deal if you want to, but just know that this could easily be solved if you just grow a pair and ask.”

With a heavy sigh, Daiki let his anger slip away. He wasn't getting anywhere by being agitated. 

“Whatever.”, the alpha said as he turned and walked to his bedroom, planning to finally get around to enjoying his sandwich and watching t.v.

The pinkette sighed heavily at her friend before another text popped up on her phone. Kise had taken a taxi from his modeling gig to the front of Aomine’s apartment complex and was now patiently waiting for her. Yelling to Daiki to tell him where she was going and whom she was going with, Momoi quickly exited the apartment. The beta was buzzing with excitement as well as a bit of anxiety as she reached the main door that led outside to streets of Tokyo. On one hand, Satsuki was glad that the Touou ace had finally come home smelling like an omega that he seemed to be very insistent on getting to know better and on the other, she was a little worried about how Kise would take this new information. The blonde alpha had been pining after Aomine since middle school and felt as though Daiki’s seeming disinterest in omega since Tetsuya had been his big break, though the alpha would more likely go after a beta instead of an alpha. It was rare for two alpha to become mates, but it wasn’t unheard of.

Moving in on his chance quickly, Ryouta had been spending more and more time with the usually closed off alpha before their game against one another in the winter cup. Aomine was at first always a little tense around him because the Kaijo ace was an alpha that acted more like a beta and that had confused him. Daiki was unsure of how to treat the shorter; as a lesser, an equal, or what. To lay it out straight for him, the blonde had subtlety made sure to slightly cock his head to the side and make himself appear smaller in the other male’s presence, letting the other alpha know that he was the dominate one and that Kise wouldn't challenge him. That had done the trick and eventually, the Touou ace relaxed in his presence and even had shared a bit about his personal life with the shorter ace. It was a slow process, but as weeks went by, the pair began to soon be more often seen together than not. 

It was Daiki’s loss to Kise that had caused his walls to go back up. Since the day the bigger alpha had fallen to Ryouta, Aomine had become distant again and often made excuses about why they couldn't hang out whenever the Kaijo ace tried to offhandedly say that he was in the area and would be free for a couple hours. Obviously, everything having to do with the blonde was a sore spot for the Touou ace but the shorter alpha wasn't so quick to give up; especially when Daiki was still seemingly not showing interest in anyone else. If there was still a chance that he could wriggle his way into Aomine’s affections, Kise would continue his pursuit.

“Hey, Ki-chan!”, Momoi called to the blonde alpha who had been busy sending a text to Kasamatsu. 

“Heyo, Momocchi!”, Ryouta beamed as he lifted an arm to wave at her, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Satsuki practically bounced up to the Kaijo ace, her eyes still sparkling with exhilaration as she fought hard to hold her tongue until they were far enough away from the apartment complex. Kise quickly picked up on the beta’s happiness and chuckled good-naturedly. 

“You're in a happy mood, Momocchi. Did something good happen?”, Ryouta asked as he let the pinkette lead them towards downtown. 

The question had dampened the beta’s mood a bit and the blonde watched the sparkle in her eyes fade a bit. 

“Depends on perspective.”, she replied warily, a nervous laugh falling past her lips.

Kise gave her a weird look at that, but didn't ask for clarification as he knew that she'd tell him everything as soon as they were a good block away from Aomine’s place. Instead, the blonde focused on the scenery about him; occasionally smiling or sticking up a peace sign for a fan that was attempting to take a photo of him. As the alpha busied himself, Momoi thought of a way to break the news to the other. Nothing was definite right now, but there was a good chance that whatever omega that was vexing the Touou ace so badly had definitely captured Aomine’s attention if anything else.

“So? What's the news?”, Kise finally asked as the crosswalk light told them it was safe to walk across now.

Deciding to simply tell the blonde without sugarcoating anything, Momoi opened her mouth to respond.

“Dai-chan came home smelling like an omega.”, Satsuki watched Ryouta wince at that, but she continued on anyways. “He claims that he isn't interested in them but he helped them cover another alpha’s claim and was very upset that he couldn't figure the omega out.”

“Do you know who it is? The omega?”, Kise swallowed around the lump forming in his throat.

“Nope. He didn't smell familiar at all.”, Momoi sighed. “Know any omega that act like an alpha? That's the only description he really gave.”

Ryouta’s eyes went wide at that.

“An omega that acts like an alpha? Is that even a thing?”, Kise said, meaning that no, he didn't know of any omega that fit that description.

“Apparently so. Dai-chan is seriously so confused.”, Satsuki giggled as she pictured the blue-haired alpha viciously tearing into his sandwich because his lack of answers ticked him off.

“I would be too.”, Ryouta said as he shook his head. “Do you think that Aominecchi is actually interested?”

Momoi thought for a long second, her dainty brows furrowed in concentration before she shrugged.

“I'm not sure. He seems like he's more mad at the omega than anything. Dai-chan’s been insulting him all morning, but I think that was the frustration talking.”

Kise let out an exasperated huff at that. 

“Who knows about anything with Aominecchi?”, the blonde mumbled as he continued to let Momoi lead him to the clothing store that she's been dying to shop at, ever irritated at the complex alpha.

-

Kagami’s appearance at Kuroko’s apartment was just another thing to add to Haizaki’s list of bad things that had happened to him today. First he was temporarily claimed and almost raped in the school gym, then Aomine came over and covered that claim with his own, and now here was Kagami fucking Taiga; the cherry on top. Shougo hated Kagami surprisingly more than he hated Nijimura and the reasoning for that is because the alpha had absolutely no restraint. He was a classic alpha. He carried out actions first and thought later; almost solely relying on his instincts to guide him half the time. It was seriously disgusting.

When Taiga’s red eyes fell on Haizaki after he'd made sure Tetsuya was okay, Shougo bared his teeth at the Seirin ace; warning him to steer clear of him and his nest. The dark haired omega hadn't forgotten the time the redhead had attempted to mount him when the Fukuda ace was in the last stretch of heat near the beginning of the school year. The teen had simply been relaxing, curled up in his roost; exhausted from having gone through another heat without a knot to sate him, when the idiot suddenly attacked him like a rabid dog. Luckily, Kagami didn't get far as Tetsuya was on him in a split second, growling and spitting like the male had set out to kill the shorter ace; his instinct to protect the omega he’d been rutting all week long stronger than his instinct to avoid conflict with an alpha. When the Seirin ace had sobered up, Taiga had immediately apologized profusely but the damage had already been done. Since then, Shougo made it a point to make it very clear to Kagami that he was not welcome into his nest and definitely not welcome to rutt him either.

“Why are you here, Kagami-kun?”, Tetsuya asked as he moved away from the front door and went to go sit on the empty couch opposite of Haizaki so he could sit by his alpha without stressing the already worn thin Fukuda ace.

“Just stopping by. I was out for groceries, but I decided to check in with you before I went to the store.”, Taiga replied easily as he went to go join the bluenette on the couch. 

Kuroko sighed heavily, already knowing what this was about. The redhead still hadn't been comfortable with Daiki being at the apartment, even though the shadow had gone through the extra effort to reassure the idiot that he wasn't interested in the other anymore. In his distrust, Kagami had likely been nearly driven insane at the thought of Aomine making a move on his almost-omega and thought up some half-assed excuse in order to come here and make absolutely sure.

“I do not want Aomine-kun as my alpha again and Aomine-kun has no plans to make me his omega once more.”, Tetsuya said bluntly, making Taiga blanch and become flustered.

“That's not it! I trust you, I swear! I was just-”

The Seirin ace was immediately cut off by a quick kiss to his lips, the action shutting him up as well as getting Haizaki riled. Like the redhead, Shougo saw Tetsuya as an almost-mate.

“You are an idiot, Kagami-kun.”, the bluenette said as he smiled at the alpha. 

Despite all the attention the Fukuda ace usually got, which was a LOT more than Taiga received, Haizaki felt horribly jealous by a simple kiss; the adoring look in the other omega’s eyes driving it all home. It was just extremely irritating that he rutted, kissed, cuddled, and purred to the other practically everyday for hours straight and as soon as Kagami showed his split-eyebrow-having ass, all that was thrown out the window. The alpha easily commanded the other omega’s attention and it pissed Haizaki off.

 

“Obviously Tetsuya is fine, so you can go ahead and leave now.”, Shougo spat, not wanting to put up with this today at all.

“How are you going to tell me to leave someone else’s house?”, Taiga said, his loving glance at Tetsuya broken in favor of glaring straight back at the other omega.

The alpha didn't like to take orders from Shougo, though he usually relented to avoid being chewed out, beat on, or occasionally bitten for not listening to clear warnings. This time though, he was feeling territorial and didn't want to leave Kuroko’s side.

“Like this: Leave.”

“Why don't YOU just leave?”

“Fuck you! I was here first!”

The Fukuda ace was on his feet now, the redhead on his feet too and sizing the shorter male up. Kuroko was in the background, trying to calm the both of them but neither ace was listening.

“I'm not leaving.”, Kagami growled deeply, using his pheromones to get the omega to back down; to submit.

“Then I'll make you.”, Shougo said, his own scent flaring; consequently making the scent of Aomine’s claim stronger.

Taiga winced when he smelt it, looking as if he'd been slapped. Honestly, it was a miracle that he hadn't smelt it before. The claim was so fresh and potent that it physically hurt the other to breathe the scent of it in. Retreating a few steps and shaking his head to clear it, Kagami looked at the omega like he had grown a second head.

“You let Ahomine claim you?”, the alpha said in awe, wondering how the hell the other ace had managed to do the impossible. “Are you with him now or something?”

The last question came out hard like an accusation. It was painfully clear that though Shougo had rejected him fully, the alpha’s instincts still told the taller that this omega was his to protect; his property because the Fukuda ace was rutting his almost-mate. 

“No.”, Haizaki growled, peeved at the idea. 

“Then why the hell are you wearing his claim then? Are you some kind of slut?”, Kagami said, unable to hold back his unreasonable anger at a situation that really had nothing to do with him.

Everyone in the room froze at that inquirization. There was no way he actually said that. Even Taiga, having reigned in his instincts in that moment, was as appalled at the words that had fallen from his mouth as Kuroko and Shougo were. Tetsuya opened his mouth to say something, but his words got caught in his throat when he saw Haizaki’s shock slowly but surely fade into anger and even some hurt.

“Actually, on second thought, I’ll just leave.”, the omega said, quickly reaching down to grab his sports bag.

“Oi, Haizaki. Wait a minute.”, Taiga tried to say; the omega still walking out even at his words.

Shougo didn’t even bother to look back as he slipped on his shoes and exited the apartment, a resonating slap filling his ears before the door closed behind him. The bluenette was about to seriously cut into Kagami, but again, the damage had already been done. ‘Some kind of slut.’ The fucking dumbass. Haizaki hoped that Tetsuya would tell the alpha exactly why he was wearing Aomine’s claim so the redhead would feel like a complete asshole as well as a complete fucking idiot. 

As Haizaki tried to bury his small amount of hurt at being pretty much called a whore, the ace found that his feet were already putting him enroute to the downtown area; more specifically his mother’s workplace. The omega sighed heavily and felt like a child for subconsciously seeking out his mom when he was extremely upset like a pup, but he kept on to the restaurant. His mother wouldn’t mind him being there since they owned the place, though she would freak when she finally saw the giant bruise on his face and smelt the claim on him. The thought of having to be chastised by his mom was enough to make the ace falter in his gait, but he ultimately decided that he’d rather have to listen to her nagging instead of sitting at home; alone and feeling depressed.

Kuroko lived relatively close to the midtown area so the walk over took only about twenty minutes. Shougo thanked whatever gods he could think of off the top of his head that he hadn't met anyone he knew on his way over. He honestly couldn't handle people’s prying today. He was stressed to hell at the moment, hence the reason he'd been hiding away from others at the Tetsuya’s apartment; indulging in the bluenette’s soft purrs and warm presence in his nest. That and he was hoping to have a little fun to take the edge of his stress off. 

“Haizaki Shougo!”, a sharp, stern voice called to the omega as soon as opened to door to the family owned establishment. “What in god’s name happened to your face!”

At his mother’s voice, seemingly everyone, luckily only about four regulars who were used to this by now, currently in the restaurant turned to stare at him, making him feel self-conscious. 

“It's nothing, Mom. I'm fine.”, Shougo grumbled, embarrassed at all the eyes on him now.

“Fine?!”, Shougo’s mother said exasperatedly. “Come on. Get back here now so I can look at it.”

Sighing heavily, the omega took the walk of shame to the back of the restaurant. He was no stranger to this walk, but it had been awhile since he'd last walked it in the building. As the youngest Haizaki drew close to where his mother stood, the steel-blue eyed woman’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Great. She'd smelt it. Before Shougo could react, he was smacked upside his head.

“What the hell mom!”, the omega hissed as he walked into the kitchen.

He was rewarded with another smack for his foul language.

“What the heck is this?!”, Ikari hissed back. “You're gone for one night and you come back with a bruise covering half your face and a claim?!”

“Mom, let me expl-”

“You're going to be the death of me, Shougo.”, the raven haired woman said as she exasperatedly threw up her hands, grabbing a plastic bag from under the sink and walking to the soda dispenser to fill it with ice; muttering to herself all the time.

The omega didn't say anything to that and instead quietly accepted the bag of ice presented to him and pressed it to his swollen face. Meanwhile, his mother was still shaking her head at him; seemingly becoming ten times more stressed than she was five seconds ago.

“Well?”, the alpha demanded. “Are you going to explain yourself?”

The youngest Haizaki wanted to point out oh so badly that he'd just tried to fucking explain himself before, but wisely kept that comment unsaid. Not ever able to keep anything from his mother, the omega told him everything from exactly how he'd gotten his bruise to exactly how he wound up with the claim of the same alpha that had decked him in the face; not leaving out a single detail.

“What a fine mess you've gotten yourself into!”, Ikari said to him after he'd finished his story, hitting him over his head for a third time though her eyes were watery with fear for him. “If you'd just act like a normal omega, then these things wouldn't happen to you.”

The youngest Haizaki rolled his eyes at the last statement as his mother went back to cooking; shooing him out of the kitchen to go sit at a table while she made him something to eat for dinner. Shougo knew that this conversation wasn't over, but for now she'd lay off until she was calmer and less likely to burst into tears. Sighing, the omega slouched in his seat as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

From: Idiot Alpha

‘I'm sorry… I shouldn’t have said it and definitely shouldn't have said it before I knew what the hell was going on. I was just angry and I don't even know why I was so angry.’

“Go fuck yourself.”, Shougo hissed at the screen, not even bothering to reply. Kagami knew why the fuck he was so angry and it ticked Haizaki off that he was skimping past a problem that was clearly there. Once again, Kagami’s instincts had gotten the better of him. Still irritated, the omega heard his mother approach. 

“Eat up. My shift is already pretty much over.”, Ikari said in a tone that signaled to Haizaki that his mother had either cried or was holding back tears as she placed a big bowl of pork ramen in front of the omega. “When we get home, make sure you keep icing that too.”

The teen shriveled at the sound of his mom’s voice. He hated the thought of being the reason that his mother cried, but he was entirely unwilling to change the way he was just to avoid that. He once did try though. In elementary school, he’d tried everything he could to make sure to conform to what his mother expected of him. He acted like every other meek omega, submitting where it was needed and keeping quiet about being crowded and harassed by alpha on a nearly daily basis. At this age, young alpha were anxious to exercise their newfound power over other dynamics. The most popular ways to exert their dominance were usually a lot of “harmless” experimenting. In the name of “exploring”, many young omega were subjected to being dry-rutted in dark, hidden away corners or being forced to their knees by dominating pheromones. Meanwhile, beta were bullied and forced to do another’s homework as well as their own or hand over their lunch-money or any other items of interest. None of the teachers ever did anything about it either. They passed it off as play and dismissed all behaviors. It was sickening how much the world catered to alpha but considering that the world was run by the disgusting dogs, no one could really be surprised. 

Though his mother didn't notice his depression, Takashi had quickly noticed his little brother’s unhappiness as the days passed and sat Haizaki down one day for a long talk. During the conversation, Shougo had come clean to his brother about what had been done to him and by the end of it all, he was in tears and hiccuping pitifully. The older Haizaki was angry, angry at the little arrogant alpha brats that thought of everyone else as playthings and angry at their mother for telling Shougo to be submissive no matter what, but thankfully kept his cool in that moment and explained the importance of sticking up for yourself and not allowing an alpha to force you into anything. After that, the boy didn't bother with his shy and submissive front anymore; instead adopting a mannerism more like an alpha himself. Quickly falling into his true self, the omega beat up a group of young alpha the next day that were intent on getting their dry-rutting fill at his expense; resulting in him getting suspended. When he returned, he didn't hesitate to defend himself from a different trio of alpha who were crowding him too much and got suspended again and so on and so on until all the alpha in the school got the message: Don't fuck with Haizaki Shougo. Soon the omega was the talk of the office; the teachers complaining that the boy was completely out of hand and needed to be set straight because “this wasn't how omega functioned in normal society.”

Shougo scoffed at it all now as he moved to pick up his chopsticks while his mother wandered back off into the kitchen. Utterly disgusting. As he took his first bite, the Fukuda Ace lifted a hand up and grazed his gland in order to coax scent from it. Usually he smelt like Tetsuya and he'd find calm in the other omega’s scent, so he forgot that he smelt entirely like Daiki. When the alpha’s scent hit his nose instead, the teen shuddered at it. It didn't calm him at all and,in fact, only stressed him more. Despite hating everything to do with any form of submission, he had willingly bared his neck to an alpha and allowed him to place a claim of ownership upon his skin. He was going against his own personal morals and that thought unsettled him greatly. 

Suddenly not all that hungry, the omega pushed his bowl away from himself. He was sure that he'd just throw it back up if he ate even a bite more. Haizaki now was stressed as well as horribly nauseated. Ikari would probably make him eat it anyways. Luckily, there was a way to get rid of it so his mother wouldn’t nag him.

“Oi, Tabu!”, Shougo hissed to the medium sized ‘guard dog’ that was currently laying out in the restaurant patio, his eyes having already been glued to his owner in the hopes that he'd be given permission to come inside. At the sound of his name, the black and brown dog lifted its head in response; it's curled tail wagging. 

When the omega placed the bowl of ramen on the floor, the dog immediately got up and padded over. As Tabu quickly scarfed down what was given to him, Haizaki checked to make sure that his mother wasn't looking. If she found out, he'd be in trouble for both not eating and giving human food to the already overweight dog. He wasn't that overweight in all honesty, just happily plump, but his mom was sure that he was close to obese and put him on a strict diet. Pitying the happy-go-lucky thing, Shougo often slipped him food on the sly. 

Haizaki breathed a sigh of relief with his bowl lay empty in only three minutes. Tabu was used to working fast less he wanted to be found out and have the food he'd either found or was given snatched away by Takashi or their mother. Petting the dog on the head, Shougo picked up the bowl and set it back on the table. Tabu whined at the loss of the touch and placed his head in the omega’s lap, tail lazily swishing back and forth as he looked up at his owner lovingly. The dog loved Shougo best and was often starved for his attention.

“You’re such a needy mutt. You’re supposed to be an independent dog because of your heritage, but you cling to me like glue.”, Haizaki sighed as he softly squished Tabu’s cheeks and moved his head from side to side. “How could your mother fucking stand you.”

The German Shepherd and Shiba Inu mix only stuck out his tongue in an attempt to lick his most favorite person’s face, unaware that he was being mocked. That was fine though, Shougo still loved him even though he was annoying. Grabbing his bowl and standing up, the omega made his way over to the kitchen to slip it into the sink with the rest; Tabu wanting to follow but knowing that he wasn’t allowed in the kitchen. Haizaki usually ate ramen pretty fast, so it wasn’t strange to see his bowl empty so soon.

“Are you ready to go?”, Shougo’s mother asked as she took off her apron and hung it up on the rack. “Takashi and Shuzou are home already.”

The omega nodded as he grabbed the keys and walked out while his mother told another worker to make sure to lock up before they left; followed closely by the dog. Tabu was excited to go home and was shifting from foot to foot while making impatient sounds. Going home meant dinner, so of course the dog was pressing to go. A quick click of Haizaki’s tongue made the dog immediately fall silent and fall into step with his owner, but the happy prancing wasn't stopped so easily. Rolling his eyes at Tabu, the teen unlocked the car with a simple click of a button and opened the back door for the dog to jump in before moving back around to the front to get in himself. When he sat down, Shougo put the key into the ignition and turned on the car. By then, his mother was already at the driver’s side and was opening the door to get in.

Haizaki buckled up and braced himself for the conversation to come. Ikari obviously wasn't pleased with what the omega had been up to lately, so the teen was sure that she'd have lots to say about it. Honestly, the Fukuda ace didn't feel like talking about it. He didn't need to be told that he wasn't meeting his mother's expectations. Shougo knew that already and he didn't need the added stress of being reminded so that the knowledge was brought to the front of his mind again. 

“I don't understand, Shougo.”, his mother began with a tearful sigh as she pulled out of her parking spot. “I'm really trying to be supportive of your choices, but I can't just stay silent about this. You've managed to get an alpha so angry that he hit you, this isn't anything new but I'm sick of it. One of these days you're going to get seriously hurt or even killed! I've told you a million times just to submit so you wouldn't get hurt, but you still try and stand up to alpha.”

The omega got an irritated look on his face, a snarl leaving his lips.

“You expect me to just submit? So I can get abused, raped, or even worse?”

Ikari’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel, her scent alpha increasing with her frustration.

“I'm not saying that and you know I'm not! I'm telling you that you should act more your dynamic and just stay out of alpha’s way. If you did that, you wouldn't draw attention to yourself.”

“Even if I'm silent and out of the way, I still get harassed. Alpha are attracted to meek omega, you should know that! If an alpha decides he wants a quick fuck from me and I politely refuse, I'd still get hit anyways. No matter what, I'm still a target!”, Haizaki spat, now nearing his limit.

“You can keep alpha away with that claim. They'll leave you alone.”, Ikari spat back, her temper flaring and giving proof of where the omega got his personality from.

Shougo growled as his fists tightened considerably. Through clenched teeth, he spoke.

“Alpha that want me bad enough, don't give a flying fuck about a damn mark. If said alpha isn't physically present, they'll try me. Besides, I don't think you get to lecture me on how to act when you have no clue what it's like to be an omega. You don't know what it's like to be constantly crowded and cat-called, nor do you know what it's like to have an alpha force themselves on you.”

“Shougo I-”,

“Until you walk a damn mile in my shoes, don't tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing!”, Haizaki yelled cutting his mother off and ending the conversation.

Ikari pursed her lips into a flat line, her steel-blue eyes watery as she turned her head back to the road; knuckles white from gripping the steering-wheel so tight. Shougo, angrily moved his own gaze out of the window to watch the world pass by him. Seriously, he'd thought that his mother wouldn't be so naive to how it really was between alpha and omega considering she was an alpha herself, but apparently she lied to herself as most all alpha do regarding this touchy subject. Haizaki sighed as he felt his temple throb, a migraine now hitting him full-swing. When he came to his mother’s work, he wasn't looking to fight with her. Actually, he wanted the exact opposite. When Ikari wasn't trying to protect him in all the wrong ways, she was pleasant to be around.

The omega leaned his head into his hand in exhaustion, knowing that his mother’s teary eyes would have Takashi asking questions. He didn't want to be prodded by his older brother about his talk or his claim tonight in the least and hoped that the alpha would pick that up. Noticing his owner’s unhappiness, Tabu stood up and pressed his nose to Haizaki’s shoulder; a soft whimper emitting from him. In response, the Fukuda ace reached a hand back and ran his fingers through the fur atop the dog’s head as they pulled up to their home. As soon as the car stopped, Shougo escaped the vehicle; Tabu clambering over the seats to get out the passenger side door before he was “abandoned”. Without even glancing at her son, Ikari turned off the car and made no move to get out. She needed to collect herself before she went inside. 

When the youngest Haizaki walked through the front door, two pairs of eyes were immediately on him. They could both easily smell Aomine’s claim from where they sat on the couch as the scent of it intertwined with the omega’s scent of distress and both had a look of shock on their faces. God, the omega didn't want to deal with this right now.

“Takashi, can you feed the dog? Thanks.”, was all Shougo said before he turned and made his way to his bedroom; his head pulsing painfully as he sharply told Tabu not to follow him and then promptly slammed his door shut.

-

Aomine inwardly rolled his eyes as Kise babbled on about god knows what; his body a little too close to the bigger alpha’s own. Momoi and the blonde had returned from their shopping trip only half an hour ago but already, the taller male was horribly annoyed. Even though the other was irritating him, Daiki didn’t bare his teeth at the Kaijo ace in warning and instead endured it. Over the years, he'd build up a certain tolerance for Ryouta’s behavior; only growling when he truly couldn’t take a second more. 

“Aominecchi, are you even listening to me?!”, Kise whined, pushing his hands into the taller male’s shoulder to get his attention.

“No.”, Daiki replied honestly, trying to watch the sports channel through the racket that was Ryouta Kise.

The blonde huffed melodramatically; a pout marring his pretty features as Momoi let out a giggle at the alpha’s antics. 

“If you keep your face like that too long it'll get stuck.”, the pinkette laughed from her spot on the floor.

The beta had been laying out outfits and mix-matching to see what else would work for the past twenty minutes while her blonde friend tried to both woo and get to know her childhood best friend better.

“What she said.”, Aomine added with mild humor, pushing the other alpha so he fell flat on his back and into the cushions.

Ryouta didn't fight the action and allowed the other alpha to put himself higher in rank. The Touou ace was testing him and had subtly asserted his dominance by making the other expose his stomach to him. The fact that Kise hadn't fought him or tried to hold his upright position showed the darker-skinned male that Ryouta’s closeness wasn't an attempt to challenge, thus lowering the bigger’s irritation level.

“Mean!”, Kise whined as moved himself back up into a sitting position when Aomine’s hand left him. “AS I was saying before you guys decided to be rude: Did you guys know that Nijimuracchi is mated to Haizaki’s older brother?”

Daiki visibly stiffened at the mention of Shougo as Momoi sprang up from her seat with a gasp; wanting to soak up every last word of gossip Kise had to offer.

“No way! How did you find out?”, Satsuki asked, each of her hands gripping the Kaijo ace’s knees.

The position was a little intimate looking and Aomine fought the urge to pull her hands off and place them back into her own lap. If she was going to make a grab for Ryouta’s dick, then he didn't want to be present for it or for it to happen in his own home.

“I forgot to tell you because you looked so hyped up to tell me about something else earlier, but on my way to my photoshoot I ran into them getting something to eat at Maji burger.”, Kise explained excitedly. “They looked so happy together that it almost made me cry. Takashi looks a lot like Haizaki and smells exactly the same as him, but he’s so much nicer! It was like they were raised by completely different peo-”

“Wait, wait, wait, Ki-chan! You said that Takashi and his Shougo smell the same?”, Momoi asked, baffled a bit.

“Uh. Yeah?”

Aomine’s heart dropped a bit as Satsuki began to play detective. Once she became interested in something or someone, she did everything in her power to dig up information on the subject. Honestly, this was probably not enough to spark a full-blown investigation but she'd likely store this little tidbit of info away in case another puzzle piece turned up.

“But…They should only smell the exact same if they're twins. Are you sure that they don't smell even a little different from each other?”

Ryouta shrugged.

“The scent seemed the same to me…What do you think is going on, Aominecchi?”, Kise asked, turning to Daiki again.

“I think you guys are thinking too deeply into something stupid and that you stink.”, Aomine said, scrunching up his nose.

“I do not stink! I shower three times a day!”

“No really, Kise. Are you going into rutt soon or something?”, the other alpha said not at all taking pleasure in breathing in the other’s pheromones.

The scent was so strong that if it got any stronger, Momoi would be slightly cocking her head to the side in submission and praying that she wouldn't somehow set Kise off.

“I'm not due until another six more days though!”, the blonde sqeaked as he tried to smell himself in order to gauge how quickly his rutt was coming on.

Satsuki moved up onto her knees and sniffed the air surrounding the alpha, her eyes blinking rapidly at the intensity.

“Ki-chan, your scent is super strong. You’re probably going to go into rutt in a couple hours.”, the beta said; moving away and attempting to put a little space between them.

“But that means I'll have to miss the Rakuzan vs. Seirin game…”, Ryouta pouted like a child, his body sliding off the couch a bit.

“Not necessarily.”, Daiki said as he moved to turn off the tv. “Rutts only last about eighteen hours, give or take. That'll be all night tonight and then all through the next morning until like twelve in the afternoon. The game is at three so you should still be able to go.”

Kise sighed again but got up to leave before he became lost in carnal need.

“But still… rutts.”, the alpha said as if it were a horrible disease.

“At least you're not an omega.”, Momoi said as she got up as well, moving to pack up her outfits in her bag. “They have to go through a whole week of suffering instead of eighteen hours.”

“True… Do you want a ride home Momoicchi?”, Ryouta offered. “It's dark out and it's not safe for you to be walking around.”

“Yes, my feet are killing me.”, Momoi sighed as she picked up her bag before moving to the door to get her shoes. “I'll be back here tomorrow Dai-chan so you better be ready to go when I show up.”

“Yeah, yeah. I'll be ready to go by one-thirty.”, Aomine sighed as Kise waved a goodbye to him; too busy talking on the phone for a ride to say it verbally.

When the door finally shut behind the pair, Daiki let the tension in his shoulders drop. Ryouta’s scent was overwhelming even for another alpha. Hell, all the Miracles’ scents were overwhelming to other alpha. The more powerful the scent, the more powerful the specimen and it just so happened that the Generation of Miracles who held an alpha title were chalked full of raw power. That was one of the biggest reasons they no longer were allowed to be in a team together. Too many strong alpha, all of which rank too closely together, is a spell for disaster. Tensions were always at a constant high with everyone trying to put themselves higher in rank than the next. How Akashi was able to hold his rank as long as he had was a miracle in itself. He made it look easy, but truly he fought tooth and nail for his place at the top; ruling with an iron fist in order to maintain his rank. 

It was strange now though that even though Kise would likely be able to hold his rank against Daiki, he still chose to submit. Back during their first year of middle school, they'd constantly been at each other’s throats; growling and fighting nearly every second they got, but slowly the blonde small forward had begun to let Aomine be the dominate out of them. Honestly, the Touou ace couldn't understand why. Why would he suddenly lose the will to be at the top when Daiki had never fully proved himself to be stronger? Why suddenly roll over and play the beta-role when he most likely didn’t have to? Ryouta was just as confusing to him as Shougo was. Kise wanted to be submissive and Haizaki wanted to be dominate and Aomine for the life of him couldn't figure their reasons out. 

Oh so badly, Aomine wanted to tell Momoi about all of this and have her help him unravel the mystery but that would mean he'd have to tell her the omega who was wearing his mark was Haizaki Shougo. She already suspected that he had feelings for whomever he had marked, which he didn't by the way, and her finding out would only make her do something as crazy as to attempt to get them together. Not only would it be annoying to be put into set up situations, but it also wouldn't work. Shougo acted like an alpha and living under the same roof as someone who would likely challenge him twentyfour-seven would be stressful as well as grate heavily at his patience. 

Daiki let his head thump against the metal of the front door, knowing that even if he didn't want to tell Satsuki, it was only a matter of time before she and the others found out. Haizaki got around; his territory reaching from one end of Tokyo to the other. Aomine didn't know if he was so willing to roam now that his nature wasn't being hidden anymore, but he guessed that the omega would soon push through the insecurities in favor of doing whatever the hell he wanted. Questions would soon to come his way and Momoi would supply them with answers that would only make everything worse and Daiki would soon find himself having bought into more than he'd bargained for.


	4. Mixed Feelings

Haizaki woke up the next morning to the sound of Tabu scratching frantically at his bedroom door; occasional whines and pitiful wailing emitting from the Shiba Inu mix every time he realized that his efforts got him nowhere. From beyond the door, Shougo could hear his brother hiss at the dog to knock it off and to come lay down on his dog bed only for the persistent thing to come back and start all over again. When Tabu thought it was time for his most favorite person to get up, he was going to get his most favorite person to get up.

Letting out a long yawn, the omega sat up in his bed; dragging a hand down his face to ease the sleep from his eyes. His headache from last night had disappeared, but the stress of everything that had occurred from before still lingered and new stresses were sure to come. Soon he'd have to face Takashi and Shuuzo’s questionings about his mark, soon he'd have to face his mother again after their argument, soon he'd have to give Daiki back his damn clothes, soon he'd be sought out by his shady friends because he'd been ignoring their messages lately, soon he'd have to see his team again unless he decided to quit, and soon he'd be dealing with Tetsuya being ticked off at him. The bluenette had obviously reached his limit to how much he'd put up with last night if he hadn't messaged him once since the incident. The omega didn't like being fought over nor did he like the strange dynamic between Taiga and Shougo.

A sharp bark from Tabu roughly pulled Haizaki from his thoughts and with an unwilling groan, the Fukuda ace got up and opened the door. He wasn't ready to face the world yet today, but his dog demanded he run into everything head on instead of hiding away. He had a lot of things to sort out and they weren't going to sort themselves anytime soon. 

“I hate you.”, Shougo said as he glared down at Tabu who was nothing but happy to see him. 

With another bark, the medium dog stood up on its hind legs and pushed his paws into his owner’s lower stomach for balance; wanting to be pet after a night of exile in the livingroom. Begrudgingly, the omega gave Tabu a good scratch before removing the Shiba Inu mix off his person so he could go to the bathroom and brush his teeth. Seemingly satisfied with the fact that Haizaki was up and about, the little dog padded off to go see Takashi who should have fed him by now. The Fukuda Ace rolled his eyes when he heard Tabu begin to pester his older brother, but didn't call the little dog off. The longer Tabu kept Takashi busy, the longer the alpha would take to turn his attentions to Shougo. 

Peering into the mirror as he brushed his pearly whites, the omega looked at his weary features. His face seemed paler than normal, dark circles surrounding his eyes made the steel orbs look as if they were beginning to sink into his skull, the deep purple circling one of them not at all helping, and his overall disposition lacked the usual bite he most often carried. To be frank, Shougo looked like absolute shit. In omega, the effects of stress were more devastating as they were horribly sensitive to it. Too much of it caused them to eat little to nothing, miss heats, miscarry, sleep less, and battle with emotional roller-coasters. Worst of all, the physical effects of stress are more prominent in shorter periods of time, which was why Haizaki looked to be a sickly-looking mess. Scientists speculated that the reason that omega showed physical signs of stress so early was so that an alpha could dissipate it before the symptoms became more serious, but that's not to say that an omega couldn't be calmed by a person of another nature. Beta and fellow omega could ease stress just as an alpha could, but just like with sex, they just couldn't compete with those on top of the hierarchy.

Not wanting to look at his face anymore, Shougo quickly finished up his task and did his business before exiting the bathroom again. Just as he opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of his mother with her fist up; poised to knock. The omega warily looked down at Ikari, worried that his mom would be able to see that he was worn thin and make it all the more worse by smothering him in attempt to make him feel better. Sadly, luck was still not on his side. Ikari had, in fact, noticed; the sight of her brows pinching together and her lips thinning a tell-tale sign. When the shorter Haizaki opened her mouth to speak, she saw an exasperated look cross her son’s features. It almost seemed as though he was pleading, begging with his eyes for her not to say anything; to leave him be. Seeing as her interventions had never worked before, Ikari clamped her mouth back shut again and continued on her way to the bathroom to finish getting ready for work. It was too early in the day to start another fight. Knowing her eldest son, he was sure to take care of it in her place with even better results anyways.

Letting out a relieved breath as the bathroom door clicked shut, Shougo debated his next move. He could either go back to his room and hide out until his brother either went to Nijimura’s or came knocking at his door, Tabu in toe, or he could get on with it and face the alpha head-on. Either way, Takashi was going to ask him questions; it was only a matter of now or later. Wanting to mark off items on his to-do list as soon as possible, Haizaki quickly made up his mind, steeled himself, and walked slowly out to the living room. 

When the omega stepped in, he found that his brother was currently busy refilling Tabu’s water bowl while said dog ate away at his newly refilled food bowl. Shougo could’ve weeped for this small blessing in what was surely going to be the shittyiest day. Taking advantage of the fact that his reappearance had not yet been noticed, the omega silently situated himself on the couch; his ears tuning in to the tv which was playing one of Takashi’s stupid reality tv shows. His brother had a serious problem, more like addiction, to watching crappy, scripted shows about people who were famous even though they were absolutely talentless. Shougo only ever watched them to make fun of the horrible acting and overly-dramatic themes that were constantly present in the show while Takashi genuinely enjoyed watching and thought that everything that happened in the show was, without a doubt, real. Seriously, how could real people with any sort of common sense act like this? Even the stupidest of the human race were smarter than people on reality tv shows.

“Can you at least try to not look so disgusted while watching? You're ruining the experience with your negativity.”, Takashi suddenly said with light humor as he shut off the faucet and set Tabu’s water bowl on the floor.

“I still don't understand why you watch this garbage.”, Shougo said, trying to buy himself even more time before the conversation took a more serious turn.

The omega’s brother only shrugged as he moved back up from his bent position and walked over to the couch opposite of the youngest Haizaki. When the alpha sat down with his arms crossed and his posture ramrod straight, the shorter knew that this talk was happening sooner than he'd wanted. With Takashi very obviously asserting his dynamic to keep him from trying to run off or dodge his pending questions, it was clear as day that he was screwed. The older hardly ever used his nature against Shougo but when he did, it was for emergencies and interventions. 

Feeling uncomfortable at the rising tension, the omega averted his steel-grey eyes and shifted in his seat while his brother silently stared at him; his dark-almost black eyes squinting slightly as they took in the other’s state of being. Just from a quick glance-over, the alpha could tell that the omega’s condition was bad; worse than it should be considering that this was only the first day of showing any sign that something was amiss. If the stress Shougo was under wasn’t dissipated within the next couple of days; fatigue and sinking skin underneath the eyes was going to be the least of his problems.

“I only have one thing to ask you.”, Takashi began, his gaze suddenly becoming hard and so intense that when Shougo looked into his eyes, he visibly flinched. “One question that I want you to answer honestly.”

Haizaki swallowed thickly as he nodded that he understood what was being asked of him. 

“Was it forced?”

“No.”, the omega answered honestly. “Daiki only covered a forced claim for me. This doesn’t mean a fucking thing. It’ll just go away.”

Takashi got a sort of pitied look on his face as he stared knowingly at his little brother. He'd exchanged one poison for another in this situation; the proof evident in the omega’s now sickly demeanor.

“It doesn't exactly work like that. I'm not sure what exactly the relationship you have with the alpha that left his mark on you, but being away from him so soon after being claimed is wearing on you. There's a whole bonding process that you have to go through unless you want to make yourself horribly sick. Your body isn't used to having an alpha, even if it is a temporary one, yet and you won't be able to adjust as well unless you go to your alpha and familiarize yourself with his presence and scent.”

The youngest Haizaki felt anger begin to lick at his fuse; soft lips turning downwards in an angry pout as a fiery reply fell forward to rest on the tip of his tongue. Before he could think to pull back his instantaneous response, the words were already spilling from his mouth.

“You think that I'm stressed because of some stupid mark? You should know me by now, Takashi, I don't play into that omega-etiquette bullshit. I'm fine doing what I’m doing and the claim isn't that much of a problem, as much as you self-important alphas like to think it would be.”

Throughout the whole rebuttal, Takashi had remained silent; the only proof of his irritation showing in the tenseness of his jaw. His dark eyes were as smoldering as coal and his body language screamed ‘danger’, but Shougo stood firm; fixing the alpha with an ice cold stare that contrasted greatly to the fiery one. The exchange lasted only a few more moments before the eldest let his body relax as he removed his stare from the younger. Seeing as Haizaki wasn't going to back down from this and that his currently rampant emotions were most likely the cause of this misplaced outburst, the alpha leaned back into the couch with a sigh; his eyes closed in show of defeat. He wouldn't press the topic any further. 

Seeing as the conversation was over and done with, Shougo stiffly stood up and exited the living room. Guilt had immediately began to sink in after he’d unleashed misdirected anger at his older brother. He knew just as well as Takashi knew that what had been said was truth. The Fukuda ace felt very much on edge, anxious, and fidgety and he knew exactly the remedy. His body was turning on him; his instincts pushing him to go to his alpha and to not stay away from his side for too long. It was a common occurrence for newly claimed omega to have a strong need to be close to their alpha, temporary or otherwise, but Shougo couldn’t help but feel absolutely disgusted with himself. He’d been fighting his instincts for years and had been able to handle it just fine with only moderate amounts of stress, but now of all times he had to succumb to them. Considering all the new changes and all his current problems though, it wasn’t so crazy to think he’d buckle under the weight of the stress. A lesser omega would’ve long been crippled with the overload once they’d been forced to live their life drastically different from before due to being found out.

Already feeling horribly and utterly unoptimistic about the day he was going to have, Haizaki pushed down the guilt he was feeling and picked up his phone. Takashi could see through him as if he were a looking-glass and knew already that the younger wasn’t really angry with him, but was angry at himself and his current situation so there was no reason to linger on it. Looking at his notifications, Haizaki saw that he had a couple questioning messages from his usual hangout group: the alpha delinquents. It had been two days since he’d last so much as sent a simple text to anyone which was highly uncharacteristic of him. Shougo was usually highly involved in the group and would always message if he wasn’t going to come around that day. 

The omega cursed under his breath, knowing that he had to respond yet not wanting to. Opening the message he’d gotten from Hanamiya, Haizaki shot him a quick text saying that he’d been caught up in a few things and that he’d show up again when he damned wanted to, if at all. He’d gotten an immediate response to that, the alpha saying that he wasn’t complaining since he didn’t want to see his ugly face around all the time anyways. The dark grey-haired omega rolled his eyes. Makoto wasn’t complaining because he was after a full, first in command title; the position being split currently by the two of them. With Shougo not around, the raven haired alpha could begin taking absolute control of the pack, not that said omega really cared.

Knowing that he likely wouldn’t get anymore inquiring messages from the group now that he’d metaphorically handed Hanamiya his resignation note from the pack, Haizaki let out a long sigh. A little bit of the stress had lifted, but he knew his grief with them all wasn’t over. Makoto was curious and liked to pry into people’s business. He’d want to know why Shougo had so suddenly ceased involvement in a group he’d been so active in only two days before and would go digging around. He wouldn’t have to dig far either now that more and more people were becoming aware of the omega’s long-buried secret. Harassment was sure to ensue, but it was nothing Haizaki couldn’t put an end to with a quick reminder of why he wasn’t someone you wanted to fuck with. 

Again, a sharp and insistent bark again cut through Shougo’s thoughts. Looking down, he saw that Tabu had grabbed his leash from off the top of the kitchen island and had dropped it at the omega’s feet; said dog looking up at him with a tickled and expectant look on his face. 

“I still have an hour and thirty before I have to take you out and I haven’t even showered, so quit fucking bothering me.”, Haizaki tsked as he pushed the rope away from himself with a slight press of his foot. 

The shiba-inu mix’s happy demeanor quickly turned into a dismayed and annoyed front as he heavily plopped onto his stomach and stared up at Shougo like a pouting child. The ace rolled his eyes for the upteenth time at the dog as he listened to his mom hurriedly tell Takashi that she’d be back around nine o’clock tonight before she finally stepped out. Now that his mother was out of the way, Haizaki made his way back to the bathroom in order to shower. He reeked heavily of Aomine and it made him feel even more anxious and fidgety for some reason.

Wanting to rid of the worst of it so he could cease his revulsion and some of his instinct’s nagging, the omega washed thoroughly, scrubbing his sensitive skin harshly with excessive amounts of soap in order to fade the intensity of the alpha scent all over him. Though he was certainly no stranger to being doused in an alpha’s natural perfume, there was something more grossly intimate about having it seep from him, from his own scent glands. Daiki’s scent was not simply covering his own but intertwining with it, a lightning charged sky meeting with the sharp scent of freshly fallen snow. God, Shougo felt so bitched. He was entirely owned and not in a pleasant way; not that being owned in any way was exactly pleasant.

Feeling even more dismayed and disgusted at his predicament, the raven-haired omega let out a long sigh as he bowed his head so it would rest against the shower wall. Ten minutes of scrubbing had done pretty much nothing to make the scent or the shame fade. Fists tightening at his sides, Shougo allowed his anger shimmer and marinate just beneath the surface; not quite letting it take control but letting it make its presence known. Why was an omega’s position always below or behind an alpha? Why did he have to be born an omega in the first place?

Taking a deep breath and burying his anger best he could behind weak and unreliable blockades, the raven-haired ace turned off the stream of water, grabbed for a towel, and exited the bathroom once more. Without so much as sparing his brother a second glance, the teen moved into his bedroom to quickly pull on some clothes that weren't contaminated by the borrowed clothes belonging to Aomine and grabbed his keys and wallet before attaching Tabu to his leash and walking back out to the living room. With a weak goodbye and a promise to be safe, the omega stepped out into the chill of fall. 

-

Daiki woke up feeling anxious, a constant nagging at the back of his mind telling him there was something he needed to be doing right now. Aomine being Aomine had at first written it off as him wanting to make extra sure he didn't miss too much of the big game today but even as he pulled himself out of bed early and went through all the motions he was supposed to, his turmoil only seemed to grow. Irritation beginning to peak now, the alpha frustratedly began searching for the cause. He checked his phone for messages from Momoi, checked his mailbox when he went to take out the trash, turned on the news, even looked for any missed calls on his home phone, but nothing was erasing his agitation. 

Daiki let out a long sigh as he combed his fingers through his hair. As far as he knew, there wasn't anything he needed to be attending to right now so he could only try his best to ignore his feelings and move on with his life. Still… whatever it was must be important if he felt this inclined to do that certain thing he needed to do. 

“I must need to jack off or something.”, Aomine mused to himself as he pushed his feelings of anxiousness aside once and for all.

Many a times, the cause to Daiki’s problems had been that he wasn't releasing his pent-up frustration. Irritated at everything? You need to jack off. Feeling the need to assert your dominance all the time? Finding it hard to keep your instincts in check? Can’t focus on anything that isn't related to knotting? Stressed out? Yep. You need to jack off. For the Touou ace, life’s problems were usually just that simple.

Picking up his cellphone again, Aomine sent Momoi a message saying he was definitely going to miss at least half of the first quarter due to “unforeseen responsibilities”. Satsuki would know just by reading the text that the alpha was going to be doing one of three things: Taking a nap, buying a new porn magazine that just came out, or jerking off. She’d get mad at him for it too and say that his so called responsibilities weren't as important as being somewhere on time. Daiki would have half the mind to tell her that without these certain responsibilities being taken care of he'd be more insufferable because he’d just be pent-up, irritated all the time, and wanting to fuck something, but in the end he’d keep his mouth shut just to not hear Momoi go on a rant about how disgusting he was for telling her that. 

Letting out a lazy yawn, Aomine plopped onto his couch. He knew he needed to rub one out but how was he supposed to do so without motivation? Right now, this seemed like more of a chore than something enjoyable. Daiki hated chores. 

It was times like this when he really regretted turning down the multitudes of omega and beta always wanting to get under him. How convenient would it have been to call one of them up and have them come over to get him off? Very, but unfortunately the alpha didn’t go for a booty-call type relationship with people anymore. Every single one he's ever had had always wound up developing feelings for him. Once it reached that point, Daiki couldn't continue rutting them with a clean conscious. He knew that they were hanging around in hopes that this would develop into something more. Knew that they craved more attention than he’d ever give them, that they were doing their very best to please him in order to gain his affection. It was honestly unhealthy for someone to live that way and actually really sad.

Aomine groaned, pushing the heels of his hands into his eyes. He'd effectively killed any chance for him to so much as get an erection now that he'd delved into such a depressing topic. Mentally kicking himself, the alpha thought of something else he could do to release some tension. Luckily, he didn't have to muse for long because he had a go-to, official, second choice. It wasn't as effective, but it at least worked to a point.

Getting up again, Daiki quickly grabbed his house keys off the dining room table and slipped out the door before locking it tight. The cold air immediately cut into him like a knife, nearly knocking the air out of him and making him reconsider this little trip but he ignored it and trudged on. Dealing with this temporary discomfort would save him a lot of grief later on. 

As much as he'd wanted to, the ace didn't bother to take the train and instead walked away from the train station and towards school as he only had to walk a mile to his destination. To many people, this would seem pretty far but Aomine was used to walking even longer distances in one day. Since he was usually so lazy, he had to make up for the exercise he lost on a daily basis somehow. 

Making his way down the street, the alpha was highly aware of all the lingering glances from many omega. Since the lowest dynamic were most sensitive to changes in alpha, the ace figured that they could most likely sense his anxiety as well as his frustration. His current moods were received by passing omega in two ways: Some cocked their head slightly to the side and released pheromones into the air, practically offering themselves up for a quick rut while other omega curled into themselves and gave him wide berth. Daiki found himself becoming more annoyed by this, the pheromones doing nothing but make him even more frustrated. One of the problems with being a well-known and powerful alpha was having a lot omega attention on you wherever you went. It didn't matter how close you were to snapping at that moment, some omega would only be turned on by that and hope you took out your aggression on them when they made it obvious that they'd let themselves be rutted into in some dirty alley.

It was truly a blessing to see the school gym about half an hour after leaving his apartment. He'd be getting some relief soon and after all that harassment he'd received by the omega on his way here, he really needed this. Knowing that Wakamatsu and Sakurai would most likely be here already, the ace didn't bother going to the office to get the gym keys and instead walked straight for the doors. Kousuke was probably the only alpha that would easily lower to Aomine’s level and fist fight him for as little as looking at him wrong, so the ace was sure he’d come here with good reason. A fight was great for ridding of tension and Wakamatsu wouldn't give in easily like Kise and Imayoshi would. 

Wanting to have a really good fight, Daiki planned to use Sakurai’s presence as fuel. Ryou and Wakamatsu were newly bonded and if Aomine so much as brushed shoulders with the omega, Kousuke lost his shit. This was mostly because of the fact that the brunette used to have a crush on said alpha prior to getting with Wakamatsu. The blonde was still very touchy and insecure about the subject and leave it to Daiki to use that to his advantage.

“Goodmorning, Captain.”, the Touou ace said in a mocking voice upon opening the left gym door to a beautiful scene of both Kousuke and Ryou playing some one on one.

The blonde’s light-hearted and adoring look instantly became an annoyed one as his golden brown eyes narrowed and turned to Aomine. 

“Good of you to show up to practice, but you're exactly two days late.”, the captain said placing the basketball they were playing with on his hip and moving to stand in front of his omega.

He was so obviously wary of the other alpha’s presence that Aomine had to struggle not to let loose a laugh. 

“At least I showed up right?”, the dark-skinned male said slyly as he rounded the blonde so he could actually see Sakurai who then averted his big brown eyes and greeted him with a weak “Hello, Aomine-san.”

The brunette obviously knew what was going to happen next and wasn't enthusiastic about it. Violence frightened the omega and whenever he was directly put in the middle of it, he simply apologized profusely until it was over. Noticing his mate’s discomfort, Wakamatsu let out a short chuffing sound to calm him down, but got limited results. Ryou was standing frozen where he stood, anticipating the moment when Aomine would come in and mock-seize him. As he was extremely sensitive to the pheromones in the air, he could smell Daiki trying to subtlety intimidate and submit him; trying to make the omega receptive to what he was about to do. The scent was so slight that Sakurai didn't think the alpha even knew he was doing it, did it every time he played this little game.

“We were about to leave anyways, so feel free to practice if you want.”, the blonde said after reassuring Ryou a bit, moving to go get his bags from the other side of the court and leaving the brunette to trail after him; this small act meant to show that the taller alpha wasn't afraid of Aomine and didn't see him as big enough a threat to pay him any mind.

The dark-skinned alpha immediately saw through this front though when he saw the tenseness in the other’s shoulders as he stiffly walked away. It was then that Daiki swiftly moved in and purposely cut off Sakurai from following after Wakamatsu; beginning to herd him to the opposite side of the court. The omega didn't panic though as was used to this sort of behavior from the ace and understood that the only reason Daiki was doing this was to get a rile out of the captain. Most of his sense of security though came from the fact he knew wasn't really in any danger of being taken away from Wakamatsu with a temporary claiming bite despite the pheromones the alpha was letting out and because he was assured in this fact, he let himself be crowded and moved without any pushback knowing that he’d eventually be surrendered back to his rightful alpha after Aomine got what he wanted.

“Um, Wakamatsu-san…”

When the blonde realized that his omega wasn't following behind him, the alpha growled deeply already knowing why. This had happened enough that he wasn't as affected and angry as the first couple of times but it didn't mean that he wasn't affected or angry now. He himself didn't like herding Ryo around so for Daiki to do so just to get him to want to fight pissed him off. 

“Back off, Aomine!”, the captain snapped at the other alpha, irritation seeping from his very pores as he turned to finally confront the ace.

“Or what?”, Daiki challenged, a smirk set deeply on his face as he moved Sakurai backward even more with the bulk of his body, the omega’s slim hands pushing against the alpha’s chest to keep the ace’s chest from bumping into his face. The hand placement, though only practical, was strangely intimate-looking and that stuck a cord within Kousuke. 

A growl emitted from the captain’s throat at that as he marched back to rise to said challenge. Meanwhile, Aomine felt Ryou stiffen next to him. Knowing that this was stressing the omega, Daiki let out a faint calming factor in his scent for a moment as a sort of silent apology before moving a bit away from the omega so that he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire and be able to actually breathe without being suffocated by the ace’s strong pheromones.

Sakurai let a sigh slip from his lips at the calming effect of Aomine’s scent only to suck it back in when the scent of two rivaling alpha’s scents hit him hard. The omega grew tense again as the two immediately got to it, already throwing their weight around so much that Ryou had to take five big steps back. The omega swallowed thickly as he muttered apologies under his breath while his big, brown, doe-like eyes watered slightly. Sakurai didn't like that they were hurting each other, but he didn't dare try and break up the fight though as the growling and spitting of the ace and captain sent chills down the omega’s spine, fear and a sense of satisfaction at being “fought” over holding him firmly in place. 

The fight was over in less than six minutes, the results a debatable draw only because Aomine didn't have as passionate a reason to fight as Wakamatsu did. Both were bruised in various places, both were completely out of breath, and both looked like they'd just been out in a typhoon. While Daiki was completely cooled down after the fight and even looked bored and spacey, Kousuke kept growling deep in his chest and still flared his pheromones while glaring daggers at the offending alpha. In response, the ace only looked back at the captain with unimpressed eyes before standing and giving a long stretch to loosen his tense muscles.

“See you around, Sakurai.”, the dark-skinned power-forward said as he waved to a still overwhelmed Sakurai. “Make sure to bring a good lunch next practice.”

The brunette stuttered out a goodbye and quickly went to follow after his mate as said blonde grumbled and began to walk back toward the other end of the court. Daiki watched the omega with slight interest, watched as the point guard looked over the captain’s injuries worriedly; his soft hands instantly beginning to soothe the anger that the alpha was still carrying. The soft murmurings and touches of the shorter male’s words had the blonde in an enamored lull within seconds. Aomine felt a slight pang in his chest at the sight, the scene reminding him of what he no longer deserved and never would have again. Shaking the bitter thoughts away, the alpha walked to the exit and back towards the train station.

-

Shougo sighed deeply as he put his phone back into his pocket. Tetsuya hadn’t answered his call, something that was extremely rare for the other and spelled only bad news. The omega relied almost solely on the bluenette and he'd likely be horribly crippled without the support of the other if he decided to be angry and ignore him. Looking up at the hazy gray sky and trying to momentarily forget his troubles, Haizaki let his mind fall into a relaxed state. Walking always helped to clear his head and usually was an easy way to rid of stress, but today he could still sense the feeling nagging at the edges. He was so overwhelmed with everything going on and was being given zero relief. Problem after problem had been taking form and in quick secession of the last. The Fukuda ace wanted desperately to run to a safe place and hide away in a carefully constructed nest, but without Tetsuya’s steady support and tropical-sky scent, he wouldn’t find much semblance in doing so. Stress would continue to follow him as it did in every omega until a beta, a fellow omega, or, better yet, their alpha relieved them of it. Though, in most omega, it would seem like an inviting idea to go to their respective alpha, Shougo found himself cringing harshly at the mere idea and his stress skyrocketing. He didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to ask him for any further help, didn’t want to bruise and trash his pride any more than he’d already had. 

Haizaki stopped in his tracks when Tabu’s leash grew taught. The dog had paused to sniff at a tree, his black nose twitching and his tail wagging lazily; obviously content with his morning stroll. Most dogs would be more subdued and plainly miserable in the cold, but the shiba mix was blessed with dense fur that grew thin in the summer and thick in the winter. After a few long moments, the medium sized dog let out a huff and walked on; seemingly satisfied with his findings. Usually Shougo would be less than patient to let Tabu take his sweet time, but the omega wanted this time to breathe before he forced himself to go the game where Kagami, Hanamiya, that asshole Kise, and Aomine would most likely all be. Why was he forcing himself? His instincts were being drawn in, all the while tugging harshly at the omega’s self-control even as the other half of him, the rational half, dug its heels into the ground like a stubborn mule.

As the time when he needed to be at the gym came closer and closer, the omega found himself becoming less and less willing to go despite his fierce drive to show up. He had a feeling that this wouldn't turn out well somehow and it wasn't unreasonable to think so as the ace had only had nothing but bad luck as of late. Haizaki wanted so badly to just turn back around and go home, but the family restaurant where he was to drop off Tabu was just ahead and it'd be a waste to go back when he was almost to the building and the train station, or at least that’s how he justified his slow and steady journey to the gym he halfy didn’t want to be in. 

“Oi, Shougo!”, a familiar voice suddenly called out from the restaurant parking lot, making annoyance cross the omega's features. 

Here came another questioning and Haizaki really really didn't want to deal with that right now. Even so, the omega knew better than to simply ignore the beta since he’d likely be kicked in his back for not listening to his senior.

“What, Shuuzou?”, Shougo said tiredly as he unhooked the shiba mix from his leash and let him wander off to the restaurant patio.

The beta took one long moment to take in the omega’s appearance before letting out an exasperated sigh and jerking his head towards his car.

“Come on. You can get a ride to the game with me.”

A deep scowl settled over the younger male’s features, but all the same, he walked to the car as he was instructed. At least he could now say that the decision to go the game had been entirely out of his hands as the beta wouldn’t’ve taken ‘no’ for an answer. With one last irritated grumble under his breath, the omega finally gave in and sat down, quickly pulling on his seatbelt. Niimura’s eyes had been glued to the younger male throughout the whole process only looking away once he was sure that the other was properly buckled. Greyish-blue eyes now focused on driving the car rather than driving Haizaki insane, the beta pulled out of the parking lot and down the road. All the while, there was only silence between the two; Shuuzou seemingly focused entirely on his task and Shougo lost in his thoughts. After a long, surprisingly unawkward and calm ten minutes of quiet, the older finally spoke.

“How are you feeling?”

It was a simple, unloaded question, but Haizaki instantly felt his throat begin to tighten up. He was stretched thin and feeling oh so hopeless about his situation and his fastly changing lifestyle, yet he refused to show weakness in front of someone he hardly trusted. Swallowing heavily to loosen up his air passages and prevent any crackings in his voice, the omega firmly and seemingly nonchalantly answered back.

“Like absolute shit.”, Haizaki sighed, settling for a vague summarization to at least somewhat appease Shuuzou. 

The ex-captain only hummed in response. Though he was, in fact, appeased to a point, the older could see straight through the young ace as if he were a glass house. As a beta, Nijimura was highly sensitive to others’ moods and could read them as easily as he would a text message. He could almost smell the confusedness, self-loathing, distaste, and, above all, the extreme stress in the air. The omega was battling himself. He was fighting both his instincts as well as his emotions and it was becoming very obvious that he was losing in both matches. He couldn’t center himself, couldn’t find anywhere to stand in the middle of a sea of problems. At least, not alone. 

“You need someone to lean on.”, Nijimura began. “No matter who you are, a beta, an omega, or even an alpha, you still need support from others during your toughest times. I won’t tell you to just run off to Aomine and seek refuge there as you’re obviously uncomfortable with that, but I will tell you to find someone that you do feel comfortable opening up with. You can’t hold your own forever, your problems will sooner drown you.”

Shougo let his head fall back into the head of the car seat, his eyes closing as he let the beta’s words replay in his head over and over. What he hated most about Shuuzou was that he always made sense and left no room for argumentation. His words were blunt and always to the point and begrudgingly, Haizaki actually respected that. Opening back up his icy-grey eyes, the omega gave a short, barely-there nod if only to show that he understood. Even though Nijimura was right, he’d still fight what he needed tooth and nail in order to preserve his fragile ego. It was always this way, fight and claw and bite until the very last moment, until it was do or die and there were no other viable options. Shuuzou understood this and sometimes wondered why he even bothered anymore. Half of him thinks to give it all up seeing as his words more or less fell on deaf ears, but the other half of him recognizes that Haizaki has a hard time figuring out what it is he needs in the first place. If Takashi and himself didn’t tell him what he needed to do to get out of a situation, the omega would be more stressed and wouldn’t be able to save himself last moment like he always seemed to do. In the very end, his intervention was needed, though it hardly ever seemed like it. 

With an exasperated shake of his head, the beta turned into an overcrowded parking lot to a gym three times the size of the one at Fukuda or any of the other highschool’s gyms, minus Rakuzan’s of course. As they slowly made their way to the front of the building, other people seemingly taking their time with dropping off their kids, Shuuzou kept a close guage on Haizaki and how he was feeling. The omega was tense and his anxiousness seemed to go through the roof as he bounced a knee and seemed to not be able to find a suitable place to put his hands. The older didn’t comment though, knowing that there was no way to get Haizaki to stop going down his one-way path to self-destruction. He could at least rest assured that he’d save himself in the end.

“Try not to get another black eye at least?”, Shuuzou asked hopefully as he pulled over to the curb to let Shougo out.

“I make no promises”, the omega replied with a classic smirk, his eyes dancing with mischief before he quickly exited the car.

Nijimura only smiled faintly at that, his eyes glowing fondly as he realized that even though the younger was under so much pressure, he was still okay enough to let a flicker of his usual non-subdued self show through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy...
> 
> So I know it's been a LONG time and this is kinda a short chapter (I had to move some scenes to the next chapter), but I've just been so busy! I'm trying to get back on it at least for a little bit until I have to be gone all this summer, but honestly, I would be doing MUCH better with knocking out chapters if I had a beta and/or someone to brainstorm some ideas with. I can make it by, but obviously it takes much,much longer for the product.
> 
> If you feel like helping out for this fic or "Spliced", message me on tumblr. If not, then message me anyways because I like talking. xD
> 
> https://anime-goddess-on-point.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are very much appreciated. (^-^
> 
> Catch me on tumblr! 
> 
> Anime-Goddess-On-Point


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